Of Lovers and Madmen
by webcomix
Summary: Mix-ups, mayhem, and a gay wedding! No, wait, that's the tagline for a different play. But it could very well apply to this one. First in the Bardtalia series: A Midsummer Night's Dream.
1. Act I, scene i

**A/N: Hello there! Welcome to Bardtalia! Yes, after proposing the concept about six months ago, I'm finally getting around to it. Our first adaptation is **_**A Midsummer Night's Dream**_**, because the cast list came together almost effortlessly. This should be fun!**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>MSND belongs to William Shakespeare (and, it's public domain anyway).<strong>

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><p><em>Lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaping fantasies…<em>

It was a blazing hot June morning when the Duke Bonnefoy, his fiancé, and entourage strolled leisurely into the beautifully kept gardens of the palace. Francis plucked a rose off the immaculately pruned bush nearby.

"My dear," he said smoothly, proffering the gift to the woman next to him. "It's only four days until our wedding, can you believe it? I feel as if the time will never come."

Marie was unamused. Staring at the flower, she didn't move a muscle. "Oh, it'll be here soon enough."

Francis frowned, but to save face in front of all the courtiers, he quickly switched topics. "Fine. Er…you!" He motioned to the tallest attendant, who was dressed a tad more lavishly than the others. That had to mean something important, he knew it. But it just wasn't coming to him at that particular moment…

Said attendant waited expectantly for a few seconds before recognizing the vague confusion in his master's eyes.

"It's Matthew, sir. Your Master of Revels?"

"Ah, oui, Matthew." Francis gestured across the wide lawns of his palace. "Deliver my decree to the entire town: All are welcome to celebrate my wedding with as much vigour as they wish, and I do not want to see anybody in low spirits! Only funerals beget tears, and death is certainly not welcome right now. Rejoice! Have fun, for goodness' sake!"

Matthew bobbed his blond curls as an affirmative before dashing out towards the streets, other attendants in tow. Finally alone, Francis turned once again to his fiancé.

"Marie?" She looked up at him with wary eyes. "I know I wasn't the most…gentle during our courtship."

She snorted with derision, turning her back again. As she turned to leave, Francis caught her by the sleeve.

"I know I hurt you. It was painful and wrong. But this will be completely different, I promise."

He saw a flicker of emotion pass through her eyes. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, a commotion coming from the patio at the top of the stairs interrupted them.

"Vee, but daddy!"

"No buts, Feli!"

"Let go of him! You can't use force, that's unfair."

"There's nothing unfair about this; _he's_ holding on to _me_."

Francis hurried up the marble steps with Marie right behind him, her dark hair's plaits bouncing slightly as they ran.

The sight that met the couple was a strange one. One of the most respected elders of the town, Roma, was standing before him with two other well known young men, Antonio and Ludwig. The former had traded in his trademark grin for a frown, something most unsuitable for him. Ludwig, who did have a reputation for being fairly stoic, was looking uncertain and worried as he tried to gently pry another figure away from his arm. Feliciano, Roma's son, was clinging on for dear life.

Upon the arrival of the Duke, Roma abruptly turned away from the awkward situation to bounce forward excitedly. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

"Thank you very much," Francis replied. Antonio took a brief moment to revert back to his normal state of being, flashing Francis and Marie a grin before turning back to Ludwig and Feliciano. Francis noticed that putting on a face of distaste seemed difficult for Antonio, and it twisted his features into something quite uncomely.

Roma noticed the couple staring at the boys and stepped in to explain. "You see, I have a problem here. I told Antonio here that he was free to court my Feli." He indicated the man next to him. "And over there, is Ludwig. Now, I normally wouldn't have any problem with him, but he…he bewitched my Feli!"

The blond shot Francis a desperate look as the older man began to argue hotly.

"Basically, behind my back, they've been meeting secretly and exchanging gifts and all sorts of other romantic things, which are, I suppose, very nice and sweet, but I specifically told Feli to let me know if anybody comes near him so this is an insult to my honour and reputation, which I will not stand fo-"

"I understand, Monsieur Roma," Francis cut in quickly. The Italians in his city had a tendency to ramble, so one would have to literally remind them to breathe. "What exactly do you want me to do about it?"

"Oh, right!" Feliciano peered up nervously at his grandfather from his safe spot behind Ludwig. "I want you to enforce the ancient laws of this city to make my Feli listen me."

Marie started forward, but Francis held her back. Roma continued. "The law that says any man's child must obey his father's command."

Francis glanced over at the wilting Feliciano, supported by Ludwig's steady arm. "And Feli? What do you say? It shocks me, really, to hear that you disobeyed your father. Antonio's a good man."

Feliciano blinked up at him. "So is Ludwig!"

"The point is, Feli, your father made a choice. He's right. The law says you have to obey."

"Ve…" Feliciano's bottom lip jutted out as he stared forlornly at the polished floor. "If only he saw what I did!"

"If it were the other way around, there wouldn't be any problem either."

"But please!" Feliciano darted out from his hiding place to clutch at Francis's sleeve. "I can't express it enough. Whatever my punishment is, I cannot go with Antonio!"

Francis shut his eyes. This was the occasional moments when he really hated his job. Really. "Then you can't be with anyone at all. You'll be sent to live in exile, away from your family and friends, alone for the rest of your life. Do you want that, Feli?"

He could still feel the tug on his sleeve. "B-better than not being free to be with the one I love…"

Francis could hear the fear in Feliciano's voice. He'd known him since childhood, and was well aware that he'd crumble and fall apart if ever deserted. Exile would be the end of him.

"Feli, how about this. I'll give you until the day of my wedding to think about it, but then you have to decide. And I really encourage you to choose Antonio. You'll be happy together, trust me."

"I promise I'll make you happy, Feli," said suitor cut in. "Ludwig, let go of him."

Ludwig willed himself to calm down, to not get riled up from being so ignored in this conversation. "I said, I'm not holding him hostage or anything. This is his own choice. And since Roma chose you, be happy with that."

Roma rounded on him indignantly. "Yes, I did choose him. I chose him to inherit anything that belongs to me, and that includes Feliciano."

"Oh, that's all very nice and well," Ludwig shot back. This stupid business was really beginning to get to him, and it was getting harder to hold in his temper by the minute. "I'm sorry to inform you though, that Feli is mine, and I am his, so such a mutual agreement surely holds more stock than that…"

"And of your precious Antonio's reputation," he said, glaring at the other man. "Do you know what he's done? Feliciano and I have known each other for a while. He was off somewhere else. At Lovino's. Who originally was the recipient of all those vows of loyalty and undying love – and completely wrecked him. Is this the man you put so much trust in?"

Antonio's hands balled into fists, and he lunged at the blond. But Ludwig was ready. Feliciano screamed and darted away towards his father as the two youths began wrestling in rage. Francis pried them apart.

"Stop it!" He stared at both of them severely. "This is getting ridiculous."

"Look, I did hear about that," he explained to Ludwig. "But I can't control every small thing that happens in this city. Feliciano, listen to your father. He's right when he says that it is perfectly legal for strict action to be taken against you if you continue to disobey. Marie, let us leave. Roma, Antonio, come with us, for there are some matters that require your insight."

"Certainly," replied Roma.

"Excellent." Francis held out an arm towards Marie, who took it with great reluctance. "And Feliciano…"

The slight redhead shrank back once more as the Duke turned to him.

"You have exactly four days to decide on fulfilling your father's wishes. Be wise."

The group headed indoors to the cool chambers of the mansion, leaving Ludwig and Feliciano remaining outside, the former still seething with anger, and the latter trembling like a leaf.

After a few moments, the smaller of the two turned and ran blindly away towards the town. Ludwig, startled out of his thoughts, started after him.

"Feli! Wait!"

They'd gone down quite a few houses before Ludwig finally caught up, panting. "What's wrong?"

Before he could say anything else, Feliciano whirled around and threw himself into his arms, bawling like a child. They had stopped in a small but quiet piazza, and the desolate sobs caused quite a few heads to turn curiously at the two. Blushing with embarrassment, Ludwig tried to calm Feliciano down.

"H-hey, don't cry…" He frantically tried to think of a reassuring answer, something he could affirm himself with as well. "Look, in everything I've ever read, fiction or not, love has never been easy…" A thought struck him.

"Like in this one book, there was a princess who fell in love with her stable boy."

Feliciano stopped for a moment, pondering the notion. "Vee, that would be so awful, different social classes…"

"And in another, the pair were twenty years born apart. He thought he was too old for her."

"Oh no! How horrible."

"Yes, or have their friends and families chose for them…"

"Like us, vee! Luddy," Feliciano began. "That's the worst possible thing in the world-"

"Exactly," he interrupted. "So there's ample evidence that, Feli, something bad will always befall people in love, even sickness, death, or war. It's been like that throughout history. It's a fragile thing, like a flash of lightning you can only see once."

His rambling seemed to have done the trick. Feliciano pulled himself up, rubbing his eyes morosely. "Then I guess we have to be patient about it, vee?"

His boyfriend broke into a relieved smile. "Yes, we do. Listen, I have an idea. Do you remember my brother?"

Feliciano stared at him, eyes completely void of tears by now. Instead, a confused expression spread across his face.

"Vee…the loud one who was saying he was so…amazing? Astounding? Astonishing? What was i…"

"…Awesome?"

"Vee! Yes! I remember him. He was friends with the Duke, yes?"

"Yes, so you know he's quite wealthy and powerful." Ludwig took in a deep breath. "We're the only people left in the family, so…he'll definitely take me in. Feli, we can…he will…you and I can get married in his house."

He glanced down, red-faced, at the young man in front of him, who stared back. There was an elderly man watering his garden plants on the other side of the square, but he spilled quite a bit of his water when a shrill shriek rent the air once more.

"LUDDY! ARE YOU PROPOSING TO ME?"

"I-eurgh-ahhh-!"

Apparently, Feliciano didn't really mind not receiving a response, having opted to bestow a breath-restraining hug upon his (now) fiancé. Ludwig struggled to make himself heard over the squeals of joy.

"Wait, I'm not done! You have to sneak out of your father's house, then. Meet me in the wood. The city is too dangerous; we could get caught. The place where you and I went to watch the sunrise…"

"Yes, yes, I will," sang Feliciano happily. "Running away to your brother's house, in the woods, where we watched the sunrise…"

"_I_ was there too, idiot."

Ludwig and Feliciano looked up, startled and scared. Then Ludwig relaxed.

"Oh, it's you, Lovino."

Another slender, attractive young man stood leaning against a stone wall just a few feet away from them. He kicked at a stone moodily.

"Lovi!" Feliciano disentangled himself from Ludwig and ran over, trying and failing to give out another hug. "It's so wonderful to see you, I like your hair today, it's so pretty, what did you d-"

He flinched when Lovino angrily swatted his hand away.

"Pretty, my ass! Yeah, right. Because _you're_ the pretty one. At least to whatshisface, that bastard, the lying, evil, disgusting, perverted, idiotic, stupid…"

"Vee? Who?"

"Antonio, of course!" Feliciano shrank back from the outburst coming from his friend. "The total ass who just worships the ground you walk on, have you even listened to him talk about you? Ohh, Feli's eyes are like stars, his voice is like the lark…you should just _hear_ the shit that comes out of his mouth, the sap…"

Feliciano mustered up the courage to step forward again. "But, vee…I thought you liked Antonio?"

Lovino stiffened, and then turned to glare at him. "He's an asshole. But…"

Ludwig was surprised to see a flicker of genuine unhappiness pass over Lovino's face.

"…How the hell do you _do_ it?"

Lovino stewed in his bitterness. Ludwig watched awkwardly. Feliciano, not realizing that the last statement was meant to be rhetorical, had scrunched up his face, thinking hard.

Finally, he spoke. "Ve, I don't know! I tried to be mean to him, but he acts like it's not a big deal."

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Of course, stupid. I've been doing the exact same thing for years, haven't you noticed?"

"I even tried to swear at him. Only once!" Feliciano added anxiously as Ludwig started in surprise. "It was like he didn't even hear me. The more I tried to push him away, the more he just follows me around…"

At that, a sudden gloom descended over his childhood friend. "The more _I_ tried to get his attention, the more he ignores me…"

Lovino evidently didn't expect Feliciano to have such impeccable hearing, since he wasn't prepared for the bone-crushing hug from the other boy. "Vee! Don't be mad at me, Lovi! It's not my fault that I can't make Antonio like you!"

Ludwig rushed forward as Feliciano stumbled from Lovino's angry shove. " I do…I don't like him! And it's not my fault that I can't be you! Damnit!"

Hanging onto his boyfriend, trembling, Feliciano slowly righted himself. "D-don't worry, Lovi. Antonio will never see me again."

Lovino stopped panicking for a moment to shoot his friend an inquisitive glare. Feliciano continued.

"We're…" He glanced up at Ludwig, who begrudgingly nodded. "We're running away!"

Lovino just stared, open mouthed in amazement as Feliciano rushed through the rest of his words.

"I know it sounds crazy but Lovi please before I met Luddy everything here seemed perfect but now if I stay it's going to be so awful just because we're in love and it's so very unfai-"

"What he means to say," Ludwig interrupted, "Is that tonight we will leave. Under the cover of darkness."

Feliciano nodded breathlessly. "Lovi, remember where we used to go play when we were little? In the woods? We'll be hiding there first! And then we're going far, far away to live somewhere else. Like maybe in another country! We could meet all sorts of different people, and maybe their food is really yummy too…"

Feliciano suddenly remembered that he was actually speaking to another person, albeit they were scrutinizing him with an incredulous expression. "Bye-bye, Lovi! I'll miss you so much…I hope Antonio comes round, veee!"

He instantly whirled upon Ludwig to squeeze him tightly around the middle. "And I'll see you later, Luddy…"

Ludwig blinked, and just like that, Feliciano had disappeared. Now it was just Lovino, who was still looking shell-shocked, and himself. After a few moments of more awkwardness, Ludwig cleared his throat."

"Well, uh," he began. Lovino's face instantly snapped out of its daze into an automatic scowl at him. So, at least there was one thing Ludwig wasn't going to miss about this place…"Goodbye."

He had to catch himself from wincing as the other boy let out a short, derisive laugh. "Oh, yeah. Goodbye and good riddance, potato bastard."

Ludwig grimaced. "And good luck. With, you know. Antonio. And all that." Not waiting to be insulted again, he quickly turned and left.

By now, it was definitely midday, as the burning sun overhead indicated. Very few people were on the streets, having retreated to the coolness of their homes. All was still in the little square as Lovino silently pondered this new information in his head. Birds chirped faintly, and the courtyard's fountain burbled underneath.

"GODDAMNIT!"

A loud splash temporarily joined in the other noises as Lovino angrily tried to slap the water. All it resulted in was a soaked tunic, which he set about wringing dry, fuming and cursing the whole time.

"Why the hell does Feli get every single fucking thing he ever wants? I'm just as good as he is…if not better! At least I don't whine about pasta all the time."

"And I'm way fucking hotter. Or at least equally. Fuck!" He slouched against the wall, ignoring how the warmed stone almost burned his skin through the thin fabric of his clothes. "Antonio doesn't care…all he sees is Feli and how 'cute' he is…which is a total fucking lie," he concluded. "Nobody remembers how he never keeps a real opinion and always switches sides in a fight, geez! There are plenty of dumb things about Feli!"

There was another moment of contemplation as Lovino stared down at the fountain. The constant flow of water distorted his features, revealing a trembling, uncertain face staring up from the surface.

"GOD! This is so stupid!" he shrieked suddenly, and the lone man who was creeping by in the boiling heat quickly scurried away, disturbed by the youth who was shouting at his reflection. "You're not supposed to love people based on how fucking 'cute' they are, you bastard! Why do you think Cupid's always drawn with a blindfold? Because it should be blind, idiot!"

"And you blinded me," he mumbled sadly, dipping one finger into the cool water. Not realizing what he was doing, Lovino began to trace it along the warm stone ledge of the fountain. He recalled better days, previous times, when Antonio actually did pay him attention, came to talk to him, smiled at him, laughed with him…

Until that one afternoon when Feliciano happened to come over. And the rest was history.

Lovino shook his head free of these memories, and was surprised to see the little hearts he'd drawn in water quickly evaporating.

…He'd been drawing hearts? God, this was driving him crazy. Insane. Losing his mind. Lovino wasn't going to stand for this.

He got up from the fountain's edge, wiping his wet hand against his side, forgetting that it'd already been soaked. Turning on his heel, he marched away from the town square, eyes searching out the right streets to lead him to his destination.

He was going to find Antonio, and tell him. Tell him everything…

Later, when all he got in return was a rough shove aside as the enraged Spaniard took off into the night, Lovino couldn't help feeling that the one, brief touch was worth it.

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><p><strong>AN: So, it will go like this: every chapter is equivalent to one scene from the play so it will be easy to keep track of and to compare. For example, this is **_**A Midsummer Night's Dream**_**, Act I, scene I. This will probably result in some long-ass chapters (like this one), and others, fairly short. Though I do consider my paraphrase to be close, it won't be EXACTLY line for line, though I try.**

**I personally don't really like the first half of this chapter. It was mostly exposition, which is always rather tedious…and, it was so difficult to paraphrase Lysander/Ludwig and Hermia/Feliciano's conversation from l.127-179, so I skimmed a LOT of it. Which I was so regretful about because there's some really pretty imagery, but how to convert it into today's vernacular is beyond my writing ability :C**

**Hoped you enjoyed it! Please leave me reviews; I love them.**


	2. Act I, scene ii

**A/N: Asian mechanicals! Heeheehee!**

**This chapter is short, but only because the scene itself is also extremely short.**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>A Midsummer Night's Dream belongs to William Shakespeare.<br>Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Mike and Bryan.**

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><p>Yao carefully picked up the heavily laden tray, making sure not to spill any tea. He trotted back out to the sitting room, where the rest of the group were gathered. Kiku accepted the small porcelain cup with a polite nod, though next to him, Hong had already gone to work on the treats without asking. Yao straightened.<p>

"Is everybody here, aru?"

Yong Soo bobbed up and down from his seat along the wall, next to the window. "Perhaps you should do a roll call!"

"Hmm, okay." Yao picked up a scroll and unravelled it, examining the text. "This is a list of all the people we think are good enough to be in our play, aru! We will be performing it for the Duke and Duchess's wedding banquet."

He was interrupted in his introduction by Yong Soo, who beamed and applauded at this first sentence. "Good, good, aniki! Tell us what the play's about, and then read us the names!"

Yao went on. "The play is a terribly sad comedy, about the death of Pyramus and Thisbe -"

"Oooh! I love that play," Yong Soo was now half standing, arms waving emphatically. "Now, aniki, the names!"

Their host shot him a sour look of impatience. "Please answer when I call your name, aru. Im Yong Soo!"

The man in question was already on his feet. "Present! Who do I play, who do I play?"

"You are Pyramus, aru."

"Cool!" Yong Soo paused in his celebrating. "Wait, who is Pyramus?"

"He's the leading role, aru. A lover who killed himself because of it."

"Ahh!" Hong started as his seventh snack was rudely interrupted by Yong Soo's squeal of excitement. "It will be extremely sad, da ze! For true performance originated in Korea, so mine will surely leave the audience in tears."

"But aniki," he pleaded, "I think the best part for me would be of a tyrant. Like a King!"

Yao and Kiku exchanged exasperated looks as their garrulous friend hopped up onto a chair. "Let me show you! Monologues originated in Korea, da ze!"

_Love is not something that can be pushed here or there, or be calculated. Love is a word that people yearn for. People want more love, love can be treasured for a long time! If you really love somebody, it shouldn't matter what others think. That's the real power of love. What is the ultimate act of love? Getting married? Then what does getting divorced mean? When I fall in love, that's the ultimate act of love._

_Love is like hard liquor. The stronger it is, the worse the headache comes and the more pain the stomach endures. And no matter how severe it is, the effects will wear out over time…_

Mei and Thai were the only ones polite enough to applaud. Yong Soo beamed and bowed repeatedly. "That was extremely good, wasn't it?"

"Yes. Excellent," Yao replied flatly. He scrutinized his scroll again. "Honda Kiku!"

"Present."

"You are to play Thisby, aru."

"Ahh." There was a long pause as everybody stared at the quietest man in the room. After a time, he spoke up again. "What kind of role is it? Am I to play a warrior, or a knight?"

"No, aru. Thisby is the lover is Pyramus."

Kiku's dark eyes widened in horror as Yong Soo squealed again. "I _told_ you that your breasts belong to me!"

"But Yao, I cannot play a woman!"

"Wear a mask for all I care, aru. Wang M-"

"I can play Thisby then!" Yong Soo elbowed Thai aside to peer at Yao's cast list. "Masks originated in Korea, da ze. I can cover my face and raise my voice so well, and say it in a feminine way, like this: '_Oh Pyramus! I am your dear Thisb_-"

He was reprimanded sharply by a swift slap on the wrist. Yao glared at him, beginning to regret inviting him over. "No! You are Pyramus, aru, and Kiku is Thisby!"

He ignored the resulting pout. "Wang Mei!"

"Here, sensei."

"You can play Thisby's mother, aru. Wang Hong?"

He looked up across the table to where his brother was popping the last bun into his mouth. Yao frowned.

"I made twelve of those, aru. Two for each only."

"There wasn't any sign saying so." Hong sat back leisurely against the cushions. "You really should be clearer about these things."

Yao huffed out a sigh of indignation, but continued. "You are Pyramus's father. And I will be Thisby's father, aru. Thai, you are the lion. And hopefully we now have the entire play sorted out, aru."

"A lion?" Thai leaned forward eagerly, an honest smile dancing across his face. "Do you have the script? I'm worried I won't learn my lines in time."

"Feel free to ad lib, aru. All you do is roar anyway."

"I can roar!" Yong Soo suddenly burst out of his dejected funk in seconds. "I can roar so hard that the Duke will say that it was the best roaring he'd ever heard because roaring was originated by the Ko-"

"You will roar so hard that you will frighten everyone else, and the play will be a disaster!"

A murmur of apprehension rippled through the assembled would-be thespians at this.

Yong Soo waved his hand, untroubled. "Well, of course, anyone else who would roar like a lion would frighten anyone. But I can make it so it's gentle roaring, I will roar like a dove, like a nightingale…"

"You will play no other part than Pyramus, aru! Pyramus is the most dignified, proper, gentleman, so you must play Pyramus."

Yong Soo was easily swayed by such flattery, and Yao knew it. "Okay. That sounds understandable."

But unfortunately, Yao should have kept his guard up for more ridiculous ideas shot his way. "Aniki! Can I wear a beard? Dignified gentlemen have beards! The Duke has a beard!"

"If Duke Bonnefoy's stubble equates as a full-grown beard, then I'm a fifty foot pink and purple platypus-bear with silver wings," Hong muttered.

Yao shrugged. "I don't care, aru. Sure, you can have a beard."

Yong Soo rubbed his hands together in glee. "I will make the most excellent Pyramus in a beard, da ze! The straw-coloured one, or the tan one, or the grey one, or maybe the French golden-yellow one! Which one?"

"Not all French people have beards, aru, so you could just do it clean shaven," Yao said dismissively. He turned his attention to the rest of the cast members, distributing scripts. "Here is the play, aru! I want everybody to go home and learn their lines by tonight. We'll go to the forest to practice because nobody will see us there. We want to keep our performance a surprise for the wedding! Anyway, it's too distracting here, aru. Now I'll go find all the right props and bring them to rehearsal. Is that clear?"

"Perfect!" Yong Soo snatched up the booklet and began thumbing through it eagerly. "Nobody will interrupt us in the forest! Everybody work hard, da ze. See you later!"

"We'll meet at the big oak tree near the palace!" Yao had to raise his voice as his guests began fumbling with coats and furniture, preparing to leave.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, aniki."

Yao closed his eyes and counted to ten. Yong Soo bounced airily out the door.

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><p><strong>AN: Actually Kiku, in Kabuki theatre, they do cross-gender performances all the time. Sooo…no complaining!**

**Yong Soo's dramatic monologue about love is a translated section of some Korean drama that I found online. I don't watch K-dramas (too…dramatic. And I'm just not a television person, in general) so I don't really know where it's from. It's about a hotel, or something.**

**I didn't make the beard stuff up; it's such a short scene so I included almost every other line. And hey, Francis **_**does **_**have a beard…of sorts…**


	3. Act II, scene i

**A/N: I hereby introduce you to my favourite MSND character and some very sexy Faerie royals.**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.<strong>

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><p>It indeed was a fine, warm night in the forest, and Alfred F. Jones, hero-spirit-prankster supreme, was gaily traveling amongst the trees. His heart was light. Midsummer was approaching, which meant all sorts of fun could abound. Especially for him. He had all sorts of tricks planned. Now that he heard a wedding was going to happen soon – not just any wedding, but a noble wedding – things were even better. To express his joy, Alfred executed a few cartwheels and round-offs in succession. Which was the reason why he didn't have adequate time to avoid the furious streak of green coming his way, causing the two to collide magnificently.<p>

"Whoa!" Alfred reeled back in surprise. "What's the rush, buddy? Got somewhere to go?"

He was unfazed by the fierce shout he received in return.

"Don't patronize me, you twat! I didn't come all this way over the hills and the moors, across the shrubs and bushes, through all sorts of floods and fires just to deal with some snot-nosed ninny! I'm second in command to the Faerie Queen,I'll have you know!"

Alfred couldn't help it. He stared at the scowling person in fascination, who was of small, spindly stature. This faerie's straw-coloured hair stuck out in all directions, messed up with leaves and twigs sticking out of it. His vine coloured tunic nearly blended into his surroundings, though such clear green eyes – under a pair of very definitive, angrily knotted eyebrows - certainly stood out from the foliage.

"Maybe if you weren't so camouflaged, I wouldn't have bumped into you."

"That's _your_ problem, not mine." The rude faerie folded his arms and tapped a foot impatiently. Alfred felt as if the patronizing was really occurring on the other end, but didn't comment. "I don't have time for a costume change. My Queen should be arriving here any moment now, so I must ready the clearing for her with dewdrops, and pearls, and flowers…"

That didn't sound like the most manly, heroic task, in Alfred's opinion, but then again, he wasn't sure if this was even a male faerie yet. He opted to give some advice instead.

"Well, you better ready some other place. My master, the King of Faerie, is coming this way, and I'll bet you my hat that he's not going to want to bump into Elizabeta today."

His conversation partner paused for a second, and turned curiously towards Alfred. The hero continued. "She took this Indian kid from the royal family. Really cute, or something. Sadiq wants him as his own servant, because after all, he's the King, and shouldn't the King have the best? Elizabeta said no, though, so now they won't even talk to one another." Alfred took note of the look of horror passing upon the other faerie's face.

"Honestly, I don't know why _you_ don't know this. If you're second in command, then you had to have seen the kid at some point, because she just keeps on playing with it, putting flowers on his head and all that. Dude, all the faeries in the wood are scared shitless from this little feu-"

"It's not that, you git!" The faerie growled crossly at him. "I just realized who the bloody hell you are! You're that stupid bloke who goes about mucking people's stuff up for laughs! The one who frightened an entire village through some silly trick, who steals all the milk from the stables, and leads innocent travelers in circles all night long? The moron who calls himself_ Hero_, which is a ridiculous title, if you ask me. That's you, isn't it!"

"The one and only!" Alfred bowed low and extravagantly, pleased that his reputation had preceded him so well. "You forgot that one time when I stole the chair underneath this old hag. That was the best. Other people loved it too. And actually, _Hero_'s just a stand in for now. I'm still trying out some better names like, _The Rogue_, or, _Midnight Man_, something that's still really heroic but powerful, and catchy-"

The other faerie raised one massive eyebrow as Alfred's rambling trailed away. He straightened up, listening intently.

"Crap! Sadiq's almost here. Better get out while you can."

"I can't! Elizabeta's coming too." The faerie backed up against a tree nervously. "Oh bollocks, I wish he'd leave…"

Before the two spirits could do anything more, the clearing was suddenly ablaze with light. On one side, the majestic entourage of Sadiq and his sprites emerged from the shadows. The King was garbed in sweeping robes that sparkled with a mysterious magic. His visage shared the same aura, dark eyes gleaming from beneath a star-bejewelled mask of silver, his head adored with a hat of exotic feathers. Opposite of him, Elizabeta and her handmaidens stood their ground. They were all dressed in the same, lightweight material that provoked images of mist on the moor and of the sunrise, their long, flowing hair decked with flower petals and dew. In the Queen's arms was the stolen child, playing unconcernedly with the pearls around Elizabeta's neck.

"Well, well," Sadiq announced slowly. "Ill met by moonlight, my proud little princess."

The assembly of faeries shifted nervously as Elizabeta narrowed her eyes back at him.

"We'll leave here, nymphs. I don't want any share of his company."

Before her shimmering attendants could move a hair, Sadiq shot across the clearing, blocking their path. He leaned forward, grinning menacingly. Elizabeta glared back.

"Don't be so hasty. Aren't I your Lord?"

"My…" All faeries save for Sadiq shrank back a little as the enraged Queen drew herself up to full height. "If that be so, tell me, dear husband, why you were so dreadfully busy to take such a long leave from Faerie. I thought you'd be in the oriental East by now."

"Oh right," she snickered mockingly. "Your beloved Marie, the brave warrior queen, is now engaged to Duke Bonnefoy and you're here to give them your 'blessing.' I can only pity the poor mortals."

Nobody else would have dared to laugh outright in the King of Faerie's face. Sadiq's smile remained relaxed and inviting, though his eyes glowed dangerously through the slits in his mask.

"Tsk tsk, Elizabeta. What a little hypocrite you are, to mention my tryst with Marie when we both know full well that a certain Francis had been in hot pursuit of some Faerie queen, regardless of all the other maidens that fell at his feet?"

He reached for the child in her arms, but she twitched away warningly. "Poor little Sadiq, what a shame that you have to resort to jealous lies just because we haven't met for nearly an entire season. I do not consider your reckless attempts at skirmishes amongst my servants to count as any. You dared to interrupt our magic revels with your boorish brawls, ruined our dances, whether it be by sea or valley or wood…"

The faeries shared knowing looks as Elizabeta continued to rail against Sadiq. Alfred leaned towards his cranky companion once more.

"She does like to ramble, doesn't she?"

"…By conjuring up some foul fog to harass the poor commoners, the farmers at their toil with their beasts in tow! Ruining nature's bounty by murdering the crops! I saw the fields wilting in pain, the filth-ridden marshes, to the point that one would wish for winter to arrive and bury this sight in snow…"

"Yes, her language does get rather poetic. But I think it's beautiful."

Alfred shot him a weird look.

"…And it's all merely because we're having a silly fight!" Elizabeta concluded her rant by spinning around, turning her back on Sadiq. But not before he saw the hurt look on her face.

"That's true." He slid an arm across her shoulder, the tips of his fingers in the little boy's dark curls. "It doesn't have to be that way. All you have to do is trade the child to join me and my crew…"

Sadiq should never have let his guard down. The Queen of Faerie released a furious wave of wind that would have smacked him hard onto the grassy floor of the clearing, if he hadn't nimbly leaped to a tree branch at the last moment. Elizabeta screamed up at him.

"Never! Do you think this is a game? This boy is no mere plaything, not a prize to be won, you fool. His mother was dear friend. I spent hours by her side. She was the most generous woman I ever knew, so when she died in childbirth I swore to raise him."

Sadiq knew better than to come down from the tree when Elizabeta was in full rage. Even all his own servants had fled the scene…well, save for one. He leaned against the trunk and swung his legs in a false display of nonchalance.

"Very well. How long will you be in this wood, my dear?"

She bristled at the suspiciously light tone. "Not until after the wedding. If you even think about coming near me, you better be ready to grovel."

He extended a hand down to her. "I'll accompany you if you just give me the boy."

Elizabeta wrapped a scarf as light as cobweb around the child. "Not for your entire kingdom. Servants! We leave."

Another gust of wind and the clearing was as dark and still as it was before. Alfred blinked. His new friend was gone too. Shame, really. Just when those eyebrows were beginning to grow on him…

Sadiq dropped down to the earth. Let Elizabeta think she'd won this round. She would pay the price for his humiliation before morning.

"Jones. Get over here."

The lovable trickster was at his side in seconds. Sadiq spoke low, though they were the only two present. "Do you remember that western cliff by the sea, where the sirens sing?"

"Of course!" Alfred gave him his most reassuring smile. "A hero doesn't forget stuff like that."

"There is a temple not far from it. The last time I was there, a lone priestess was attending the altar. Cupid thought he'd make fine sport of her, but his arrow missed the girl entirely, hitting instead a pure-white blossom at the side. The moment the shaft pierced its petals, the flower instantly darkened into purple."

Alfred hopped back and forth on his feet, wondering _when_ his master would get to the point.

"It is the only one of its kind, Alfred. Bring it here to me. It secretes a liquid that causes any creature whose eyes are endowed by it to fall madly in love with the first thing it lays sight upon. Be back as fast as you can."

His manservant stood up proudly. "I could race around the planet in less than an hour!" And with that, he'd shot off into the darkness.

Sadiq looked up at the sky, riddled with diamond stars that were reflected in the gems on his mask. He had the perfect plan for his flighty Queen, alright. He could see it now. Elizabeta, soundly asleep, the flower's magic huddled on her eyelids. Opening those haughty green eyes would only bring her complete, helpless infatuation with some hideous thing. A beast, hopefully. Perhaps a lion, bear, wolf, bull…or even more cruelly, a monkey or an ape. And when Sadiq finally revealed her sad situation, she'd have no choice but to give the boy to him. It was perfect.

His keen ears alerted him to rustlings in the undergrowth. Could Alfred really be that quick? Yet the footsteps sounded heavy and unsteady, unlike the light, nimble steps of his most free-spirited henchman. Sadiq deftly threw his cloak around himself, melting into the shadows again.

"Lovi, go home!"

Antonio tugged his sleeve away from an offending branch and nearly fell face first into the clearing. Lovino appeared seconds later, panting heavily. The first boy sighed.

"You told me Feli and Ludwig were hiding in the forest." He looked around the trees irritably. "They're in for it when I find them…Now we're both stuck here, just because I can't find Feliciano. Thanks, but no thanks. Go back to the town."

Lovino was leaning against a fallen trunk, still gasping for breath.

"Y-you…asshole…you're too…fucking…fast…" He sucked in one final intake of air and looked Antonio straight in the eye. "But I can't leave you."

Antonio folded his arms in exasperation. "Honestly, Lovino, stop doing this to yourself. I'm not doing anything to make you follow me. I'm not even trying to lead you on. Look, I've told you before, and I'll say it again: _I don't want you_."

He didn't see the cloud of pain passing over the other boy's face, though Sadiq, in his hiding spot, noticed every tiny detail. Lovino moved forward, and Antonio moved back.

"You bastard, you're not going to get rid of me that easily. I'll prove it. I'll go wherever you go. Even if…even if you - if you hit me! Like a dog!"

Sadiq was captivated by the scene before him, so much that he even temporarily forgot about Elizabeta, about Alfred, and the flower. Lovino's voice became louder with every plead.

"I-I'm telling you right now! I don't even have to be your equal or anything, just take me with you, please. You can't leave me here!"

Antonio groaned and pulled himself away from Lovino's grasp again. "For the love of God, Lovi! I can't even look at you."

"And I can't not look at you!" Lovino angrily kicked at a poor tuft of ferns nearby. "Goddamnit!"

Antonio tried a different tactic. "Lovi, you never think things through. What are people going to say? That you stole out of your house in the middle of the night to meet with some guy in the woods…"

Lovino was frozen in trepidation when Antonio stepped nearer again, his voice dropping low. "…Some guy who has the power and chance to take advantage of such a foolish boy…"

"L-like the fuck I care! Because, because…" Lovino flushed red, but let the words pour out of him in a rush. "Because when I see you, it's _not _night! When I see you, it doesn't matter who the hell will see because you're the only one I see and I can't be alone if you're here and….argh!" He pounded the ground with his fist in frustration. "Don't you get it, stupid?"

"I won't take care of you," Antonio warned him. "You'll be attacked by wild animals."

Lovino flared up angrily at this. Scrambling to his feet, he shouted again. "Like hell I will! If you fucking even dare ditch me in this goddamn forest I'll fucking chase you to the ends of the Earth, you bastard! Just because I'm smaller and younger and weaker doesn't mean I can't keep up with you, you damn idiot…"

"Lovi, shut up!" Antonio's eyes suddenly flashed darkly, real danger lurking behind the green irises. "Go home. Don't follow me. If you do, you'll regret it."

Sadiq almost deserted his hiding place to jump between the two when Lovino, in a surprising moment of daring, made to get closer to Antonio. "Too late, asshole. I regret everything that's happened between us. You're a bastard, you know that? You've ruined me."

Antonio feigned deafness, turning his back on the upset boy to stalk back into the wood. Lovino was left alone, unsure what to do. Sadiq felt odd as well, and suddenly realized that he was actually sorry for him.

"God…goddamnit, bastard…you can't leave me here…"

Lovino angrily brushed the tears from his cheeks and ran into the forest, towards where Antonio had disappeared. Sadiq waited until the urgent footfalls faded away before becoming visible again.

"Best of luck, young man. I swear upon Faerie that you'll get what you wish for…" He was distracted by a flash of light at his side. "Alfred! Do you have the flower?"

The rogue smirked and with a flourish of his own cape, revealed a violet carefully tucked away into his belt. "Exactly as you ordered, sir!"

"Good, give it here." Sadiq lifted the stem, and the two spirits took a moment to admire it. Such a small thing to hold such power. "I know the garden where Elizabeta will choose to take her rest. It's a bower full of scented blossoms, perfect for cover when I will sneak in and place the liquid on her eyes. We'll have a lot of fun with her tonight. But you," he said sternly, and Alfred automatically snapped to attention again. "I have a different job for you."

"There is a mortal boy who is completely lovesick with another," he explained. "He is slight and fair, with a curl on one side of his head. You'll recognize him as he pursues his love through the wood. Find a way to put the flower's liquid on the _other_ boy's eyes, and make sure that he will be the first one present when he wakes up. Then meet me back here."

Alfred took a petal carefully. "If they're both boys, this is going to be one confusing hell of a mission," he noted. Seeing the serious expression on the King's face, he quickly slapped on a grin and saluted his master confidently. "But don't worry! I'm a hero! _The Rogue_ can do anything!"

They sprang up into the branches, racing away from the clearing, each completely focused on their plans.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: The first chapter of this story that I am actually proud of. xD I think I'm finally understanding the line between what to use from Shakespeare's text and what to imagine and elaborate on myself.**

**I see a lot of TurkHun fanart, but not that many fics. I really like the pairing - their equally boisterous personalities make it super fun. Kept the "ill met by moonlight" line because I think it's so devilishly debonair. Sadiq = Oberon = brb, melting into a puddle of Turkey fangirl mush.**


	4. Act II, scene ii

**A/N: Reasons for this taking so long: moving apartments, going home, several episodes of **_**Daria**_**, and general sloth. In other words, I have no real excuse.**

**Whoa, we're all caught up to each chapter! That hasn't happened for me in a very long time. It feels weird. I'm going to have to put aside one day each week to write and make sure I stay on task.**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>A Midsummer Night's Dream belongs to William Shakespeare.<br>Cradle Song belongs to Thomas Dekker, though I am fully aware the Lennon/McCartney variation is more well known. In fact, I own that album…**

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><p>Meanwhile, in another part of the wood, Elizabeta and her train reached the garden that Sadiq had mentioned. Settling within a verdant bower rampant with vines, she shushed the child, who was beginning to whine restlessly.<p>

"Arthur!" she called out sternly. Her chief faerie instantly appeared at her side.

"There is much to do tonight," Elizabeta instructed. "One, there are pests in the musk-rosebuds. Get rid of them. Two, my elves are in need of new coats. That requires the wings of a bat, so the hardiest of you must prepare to fight for it. Three, that irritating owl won't shut up, so _do_ something about it!"

Arthur nodded fervently, scribbling everything down upon a miniscule scroll of leaf. Elizabeta picked the Indian boy up, cooing at him.

"Don't worry about that mean King…he's a stuffy old fool, isn't he? Come," she called out to the rest of the magical entourage. "Sing us a song, then off to your tasks."

Rounded together by the fussy Arthur, the Faerie Queen's followers obediently formed a circle, and began their tune.

_Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,  
>Smiles awake you when you rise;<br>Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,  
>And I will sing a lullaby,<br>Rock them, rock them, lullaby._

_Care is heavy, therefore sleep you,  
>You are care, and care must keep you;<br>Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry,  
>And I will sing a lullaby,<br>Rock them, rock them, lullaby._

The last note was hastily cut off by Arthur, who nodded towards their mistress. "Right, that's done. Now, to your work! You there, guard this place."

He carefully lifted the child out of the bed, and flew away into the night, joining the other pinpricks of light scurrying off into the wilderness. Scarcely had they left when a figure silently emerged from the shadows behind Elizabeta.

"We'll see who's acting foolishly," Sadiq growled. He pulled the flower from his robes and leaned over the sleeping Queen. Elizabeta's innocent eyelids were drenched in the sap.

"Whatever you see the moment you wake, take it for your true love," he declared quietly. "Give your all for him, whether it be a cat, a bear, a boar…as soon as you lay eyes on him, he'll be the dearest thing to you. So_ please_…"

Sadiq smirked maliciously and whispered the last phrase into her ear. "Wake only when some vile thing is near."

* * *

><p>Alright, fine. Ludwig hated to admit to any form of incompetence, but the truth was that they were lost.<p>

Feliciano was limply holding on to his sleeve, practically sleepwalking. After a few more minutes of stumbling around the brush, Ludwig finally stopped and sighed.

"Feli, you nearly fell over again."

"…Ve?" Feliciano blinked furiously, desperately fighting to stay awake. "Oh…I'm sorry, Ludwig…"

"No, it's my fault. We're far enough now." Ludwig helped Feliciano down onto a grassy bank. "You stay here, okay? And I'll find some other place to sleep…"

He almost toppled to his knees when a particularly strong tug on his sleeve surprised him. Feliciano snapped awake, clinging tightly to him.

"Wait! Why do you have to go? We can finally be together!..."

Ludwig nervously pulled away. "Um, I'd rather not. Really. It's okay."

Feliciano continued pleading. "Vee…I just like being near you Ludwig. Please?"

"Wait until we get to Gilbert's," Ludwig answered. Feliciano reluctantly put his head down. Ludwig patted him gently on the shoulder. "Stop worrying. I'd die before my loyalty to you fades."

The little Italian's face glowed with that assurance. Ludwig couldn't help smiling himself as he got up to take rest a few feet away. He stretched out on the hard ground, ignoring the discomfort. It would only have to be for one night…

"Psst, Ludwig!"

He looked over his shoulder in alarm. Feliciano just waved sleepily at him from across the glade.

"Buona notte, Ludwig…"

"Gute nacht, Feli."

Before Ludwig had finished rolling over again, they were both completely lost in dreamland.

* * *

><p>Alfred plopped down onto a bank of moss, feeling quite dejected. He'd been charging about the wood now for a good hour, but hadn't come across a single sign of those he had been sent after. And even if he had found an entire crowd of people, his task probably wouldn't have been any easier. A 'human boy with a curl on the side of his head' was a very vague description, if one really thought about it. Then, another human who he had only been told was "bigger" than the other – occasionally, Alfred would get these moments when he was really exasperated by his master. This was one of them.<p>

A loud snore jerked him away from his irritated thoughts. Alfred peered behind a clump of bushes behind him.

Success! A tall, muscular young man with blond hair was spread out upon the ground, one arm tucked beneath his head as he slumbered on. Alfred carefully stepped over him to scrutinize him more closely.

"Hmm, you're kind of huge. If I weren't such a hero, I'd hate to take you in a fight," he remarked under his breath. "So if you're the one I'm looking for, doesn't that mean that…."

He straightened up and took a quick glance around the grove to double check. His eyes hadn't swept the majority of the space before he paused and grinned.

"…Mr. Haircurl's gotta be nearby." Just to make sure, Alfred tiptoed over to stare down at Feliciano. Sure enough, a strand of hair stuck out from the left side of his head, bobbing up and down with every small, fidgety movement the young boy made in his sleep. He was half-smiling, with closed eyelids fluttering slightly as he dreamed.

Alfred smiled. "Poor kid. Probably knew that if he tried to get any closer, his crush would eat his head. Like, literally. That guy's massive."

"But that's okay! I promise on my honour as a hero that you'll get your happy ending," he went on, pulling the precious flower petal out of his pocket and walking towards Ludwig. Stopping just in front of the snoozing figure, Alfred took a moment to strike a heroic pose.

"Listen up, you wicked, villainous, mean…guy! I'm putting this magic juice stuff on your eyes, so when you wake up, you'll be in love with that damse…uh, dude in distress over there!" He poked Ludwig's broad chest, causing the liquid droplets on his eyes to tremble slightly. "You got that?"

Ludwig responded with a grumbling snort as he twitched in his sleep. Satisfied, Alfred raced off to where he could meet Sadiq, eager to begin boasting of his latest heroic deed.

* * *

><p>Lovino lunged forward and caught Antonio's wrist again, causing both of them to stumble and fall. Antonio automatically jumped up, his patience wearing extremely thin.<p>

"You asshole, stop running so damn fast!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, Lovi? Get out of here!" Antonio jabbed a finger towards the distance. He hoped it was where the city was, though honestly, after tearing around the forest for a few hours, all sense of direction had been completely lost.

"You bastard! Don't leave me here! It's dark and creepy and -"

"Watch me." Antonio pushed Lovino to the ground, and was gone before he could even begin scrambling to his feet.

So Lovino simply stayed put, in a crumpled heap across some thick, trailing tree roots. He moaned in exhaustion and leaned his head against the trunk. For the second time that night, he'd been abandoned by Antonio, with only the night sky to witness his tears.

"Damnit," he mumbled. "I can hardly move."

The tree roots were proving to be rather uncomfortable, so the weary boy crawled away. Before he knew it, he found himself on the edge of a small pond, its surface as smooth as a mirror, save for the leaves floating on top. Lovino dragged himself to peer at his own reflection.

An incredibly forlorn face gazed back at him. "Feli…you don't know how lucky you are…_where_ver you are, that is." Staring into the depths of the pond, Lovino began to talk about his absent friend.

"Everyone likes Feli better than me. They're always talking about how sweet and cheerful he is, with what his 'bright' eyes and all that shit…how did they get so damn sparkly?" Lovino scowled and drew his legs up protectively in front of him. "Not by tears. Or else I'd have the most fucking brilliant ones you'd ever see."

He sniffed to himself, not noticing the rustling behind him. "God, I'm ugly. Even animals are scared of me. So I guess it shouldn't be a surprise Antonio doesn't want me either…what the hell was I thinking, that I could compare to Feliciano?"

Lovino certainly wasn't expecting an answer, but a deep snort startled him out of his thoughts. Springing up, the boy grabbed a fallen branch nearby, trembling with fear.

"Wha…who is it?" He took a timid step forward. "Antonio?"

Receiving no answer, he hurried around the clump of trees in his way. Unfortunately, the sight he was met with was none other than…

"Potato bastard," snarled Lovino. He prodded the blond with the stick, none too gently. "Oi, dumbfuck! Where's Feli?"

Ludwig didn't move. Lovino swallowed nervously. "H-hey, what's wrong with you? Apart from everything else about you, that is…wake up! You're freaking me out! Are you dead? You don't _look_ hurt…Stop it! Get up NOW! Asshole!"

The few minutes Lovino had just spent ranting had, actually, very little effect on the German. Ludwig gradually blinked awake. Neither of them noticed the pale purple fluid that winked away into light blue irises.

Ludwig was quite disoriented. It was as if the line between dreams and reality had been blurred to indistinction. He even thought – just barely – that there was some sort of lavender haze that filled his sight and hearing. As Ludwig tried to shake his head free of these confounding notions, it began to dawn upon him that somebody was shouting.

"…if you've touched him in _any_ disgusting way, sausage freak, I swear I will _murder_ you, that is if you're not dead already, which you better _not_ be or he'll probably spaz out and kill himself too, for which I will _never_ forgive you so I will kill you _again_-"

At this, Ludwig finally glanced up at the source of this entire racket.

And it was like time stood still.

Lovino abruptly stopped, gaping awkwardly at Ludwig, whose expression matched his own.

"…Lovino?"

The crabby brunet quickly shut his mouth, quickly reddening. "That's my name, don't wear it out."

"Lovino," Ludwig repeated anyway. Said namesake stared confusedly back at him, shocked into silence. "I would run…through fire…for your sake…"

"I see you," he continued, beginning to stand up. "Your pure, loyal, honest heart…"

Lovino began to back away, feeling incredibly unnerved, especially when Ludwig finally reached his full height, towering over him.

Then, he suddenly whirled around, looking every inch a violent, dangerous madman. "Where's Antonio? If only I could kill that name-"

"Wh…what?" Lovino, now absolutely perplexed and very alarmed, watched him pace up and down the bank. "H-hey! Just because he's after Feliciano doesn't mean you have to _hurt_ him! Feli likes _you_ - though I can't imagine _why_ – so calm the fuck down."

"Feliciano…" For a moment, Ludwig's face smoothed out into a blank expression, as if he was trying to recall something.

"No, no. That was time wasted, which I now regret. Because it isn't Feliciano, but you, Lovino, who I love."

"…_WHAT?_"

"It stands to reason," Ludwig explained, as if it were a simple case of logic. "That passion bows to logical thinking. You are the better of the two. Before, I was young and naïve…so now that I have finally matured, the path I've led leads to you. Thus I can see-"

He was rudely cut off by an angry shriek. Ludwig looked around and to his surprise, Lovino stood poised and ready to bolt.

"Y-you stupid bastard!" He hurled the stick, which he was still holding, in Ludwig's direction and clipped him smartly on the shoulder. "What did I do to deserve all this shit? Who said you could make fun of me? Can't you just watch how Antonio fucking _ignores_ me while I try so hard to get him to even_ see_ me, and leave it at that? You're a fucking sick asshole! This…this is low, even for a damn potato like you. I can't believe I thought you actually were above that shit…I'm going to find Antonio, and then we're going to find Feli and save his ass from your sadistic potato self! So GOOD FUCKING BYE, BASTARD, AND NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN!"

He stormed off into the undergrowth, creating such a racket that one could see small animals scurrying away from the enraged Italian. Ludwig was taken aback. He hadn't expected this reaction to what he considered to be a well-thought out, rational declaration of love…then Lovino's last words came to him.

"So he didn't notice Feliciano," he mused. "Just as well."

Feliciano squirmed in his dreams as Ludwig's moon-cast shadow slid over his sleeping form. The German gazed dispassionately down upon him.

"Hopefully he won't follow me. God, I can't even stand to look at that face…" He inhaled sharply, cringing in memory of all the time wasted with this simpering, babbling kid hanging off his arm all the time. "…that was just as healthy as eating twelve pounds of sugar at once." Ludwig turned on his heel and strode off purposefully in the direction Lovino had gone, determined to find and rescue his heart's desire, since he would inevitably become lost very quickly.

Feliciano fidgeted uneasily once more, just as Ludwig rounded a bend and disappeared from sight. The night had turned eerily silent, punctuated only by the sniffling coming from the curled-up figure. With each whimper gradually getting louder, Feliciano finally bolted up from his nightmares, screaming through his tears.

"LUDWIG! LUDWIG! HELP!"

His eyes darted wildly around the little grove, rambling fearfully the whole while.

"I had the scariest dream – vee, I'm still shaking! – that, that…there was a snake! A big awful snake that caught me and I couldn't run away, so there was the snake and it came closer and closer u-until it crawled up my chest and b…began t-to, it began _eating_ at my heart!" He shuddered. "And Ludwig, vee, it was so horrible…you were there, and you were laughing at me…" Feliciano swallowed one last choking sob at the image.

"Vee…Ludwig?"

The young man drew himself to his feet, still trembling slightly. A swift glance confirmed that indeed, he was certainly, horribly alone. Fresh tears burst out at this revelation.

"LUDWIG! Wh-where are you? Answer m-me, please!"

The crickets complied most cheerfully. Feliciano was not amused.

"Gone! Vee! Wait for me, Luddy! If I can't find you, I'll die!"

Like his friend mere minutes before him, Feliciano fled into the dark trees, allowing the branches to swallow him whole.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yes, I know Hermia insists upon separate beds, not Lysander, but that would have been way out of character for both Feli and Ludwig. But switched, it's actually IN character! I'm so pleased that it worked out that way.**

**My favourite lines in this scene are lines 91-93:**

_**Happy is Hermia, whereso'er she lies;  
>For she hath blessed and attractive eyes.<br>How came her eyes so bright? Not with salt tears:  
>If so, my eyes are oftener wash'd than hers.<strong>_

**Ugh, that entire segment was so difficult to write. So unfair for me to change the words. Though honestly, what is up with Lovino/Helena and water surfaces in this story? Am I unwittingly creating some sort of literary motif? Will the people who just took their AP English lit exams chuck their complete works at me? Can I even withstand such heavy blows? We shall see!  
><strong>


	5. Act III, scene i

**A/N: This is very late. Many, many apologies. I am a bad writer. Bad, bad, bad.  
>There is more than one meaning of "bad writer." I hope this chapter doesn't brand me with the other type. It was difficult to put together, especially after a bout of lack of inspiration…<strong>

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.<br>"Nobody" belongs to Wonder Girls…ugh, that song was EVERYWHERE last summer. Drove me nuts.**

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><p>The forest was dotted with several clearings, one of which was not too far from Elizabeta's magical garden. It was broad, bordered by stout, sensible trees whose branches extended over the flat, dusty ground. A perfect rehearsal space for an amateur Asian theatrical group, or so Yao believed.<p>

"Marvellous, aru! So convenient! Look at the set-up! The grassy area can be the stage, aru, with this tree marking the backstage. We can practice a full rehearsal, as if before the Duke!"

Behind his back, the rest of his ragtag troupe did not share his enthusiasm. They sat down on the ground, glancing at each other dubiously.

"Anikiiii…" whined Yong Soo from his perch on a rock.

Yao snapped out of his happy mood. "What do you want now, aru?"

"I was just thinking about the play, and its appropriateness, da ze. We're supposed to perform for noble people! What if the ladies faint when I, as Pyramus, must kill myself with a sword? It's so gory! Can_ you_ do anything about that?"

"Indeed," Hong automatically agreed. "It's a very bad situation."

Next to him, Mei frowned. "Could we…just leave the killing out?"

"Of course not!" Yong Soo jumped up in alarm, ready to protect what would be his greatest scene, for heroic sacrifices originated in Korea. "But not to worry - I have a brilliant plan. Aniki, you can write an extra prologue before we start the story as a disclaimer! That way, we will tell them that Pyramus isn't really dead. Because I am not really Pyramus, but Im Yong Soo, the most excellent weaver. For weaving originated in Korea, so I am the best one in town!"

Yao grimaced. Typical of this bunch, to give him extra work on top of organizing the entire damn thing. "Fine, fine. I shall compose a few couplets about it."

"No, no, that is too short! Let it flow a little, more like a yeonjanche."

Hong spoke again. "What about the lion? Isn't that quite fearful too?"

"I don't like lions," Mei admitted, shivering a bit. Kiku patted her knee consolingly.

"You guys!" Yong Soo paced upon the grass broodingly. "Imagine if the ladies thought we had brought in a real lion to the palace! Even though the strongest and most fearsome lions come from Korea, having one in our play would be the worst possible thing that could ever happen. We must think about it carefully."

"It's simply, really. Just have another prologue explaining about the lion," Hong said.

"Not so easy, da ze. We must say who is playing the lion, and allow the audience to see his face, at least partially. Thai, you should also tell them your own very self that you do not wish to harm them – but these are nobles so you must say it in a nice way, you see."

Thai nodded. "Alright, I'll do it." But he was shushed by his attention-needy comrade yet again.

"You have to say things like the nobles do, like this: "_My fair ladies_," or even, "_My most honourable ladies, I would wish you_" – perhaps even "_I would request you_" – no, how about, "_I would entreat you_!" Yes, "_I would entreat you to becalm yourselves, da ze. It is most shameful for me if you were to believe that I am a real lion. This is false, and you can believe me because telling the truth was originated in Korea! There is nothing, only a normal man like any other._" And so, you must say your name, straight out that you are Thai, the simple carpenter. And that carpentry was invented by the Koreans."

"But…I'm not Korean," Thai mumbled faintly. Yong Soo did not hear this, and turned to their disgruntled leader expectantly.

"You got all that, didn't you?"

"Yeah, yeah, aru. I'll write another one. Though since we are talking about problems," he continued, "There might be another one. In the play, it is said that the lovers could only meet by moonlight. How can we bring moonlight indoors, aru?"

"Well, is it full moon the night we perform?" Thai asked. Yao shrugged.

Yong Soo sighed dramatically. "That's easy! Get a calendar, da ze! Check to see what phase of the moon it is at night!"

After a short squabble with Hong about the props and other items they had dutifully hauled along together, Yao finally pulled out a frayed almanac and proceeded to thumb quickly through its pages.

"Yes, it does shine that night, aru!"

"Perfect! Then just leave the window open and let the moon shine through. The best solutions always originate from Koreans," he added needlessly.

Yao was sceptical. "Yes…or we could add another role to represent moonshine. He could hold a lantern to actually shine moonlight on the characters, aru." He sighed. "Then, there is still another thing: I cannot find a wall to separate the lovers, and the play simply won't make sense without one! The story specifically says they can only talk through the wall, aru!"

Thai raised his hand in protest. "You can't just bring in an entire wall into a room!"

They all paused, deep in thought. Thai spoke up again. "Yong Soo, you seem to have the most ideas. What do you think?"

Realizing that he was finally the centre of attention, the Korean grabbed the chance to bask in the limelight. "If we can have a human lion and a human moon, we can have a human wall too. One us of must wear a wall costume made of something sturdy, like plaster, and that will signify wall, da ze! And he can hold up his fingers, like this, to signify the hole that the lovers peer through!"

This idea was met with a short round of applause, which fed Yong Soo's already inflated ego considerably. Yao glanced up at the night sky.

"Alright, I think that is the end to all our problems, aru. We much to rehearse before we run out of time! Yong Soo, you will have the first line. Remember that the grass is the stage, so stand over there when you enter. Then stand by those bushes when you are offstage. Same with everyone else and their cues, aru!"

The actors quickly busied themselves with setting up for their performance. Nobody took notice of a grinning blond faerie hopping jauntily across the treetops towards them. Alfred stopped in his tracks at the sight of the rehearsal.

"Whoa, what's going on here? Isn't Queen Liz's garden just around the corner?" He leaned through the branches to scrutinize the mortals' actions more closely. "Ha! They're putting on a play? Awesome, I'll be their audience. Or, if they need one, I can play the hero and steal the show…"

Yao stood smack in the centre, holding a script and looking important as the director. "Yong Soo, you start! Kiku, stand there. No, _there_, aru."

Kiku reluctantly shuffled aside as Yong Soo began to declaim dramatically.

"Ah, Thisby! The flowers smell so odious-"

"It's _odourus_, aru!"

"-so odourus. It reminds me of your sweet, sweet breath, my dearest Thisby." Yong Soo performed an exaggerated double take. "But wait, da ze! Somebody else is here! Wait for me, my love! I…will…return!"

He flounced off the "stage" with a flustered flourish.

Alfred plucked a berry off a branch. "That's gotta be the weirdest Pyramus I've ever seen," he reflected through a full mouth. As he munched, a sudden thought struck the lovable trickster. Alfred grinned and began making his way to the other side of the clearing, keeping sure to stay in the shadows.

The rest of the company stared at Kiku, who had been watching Yong Soo in curiosity. Yao cleared his throat, and the Japanese jumped.

"Oh…do I have to say something now?"

"Yes," Yao said testily. "Pyramus has left to investigate a noise, and he cannot come back unless he hears his Thisby, aru."

"Er…the most lovely Pyramus. Who is as white as the purest lily, and as red as the deepest rose…dashing and charming as one can be, I know that I can rely on you as well as the most loyal horse. I promise I'll meet you at Ninny's tomb."

"Cut!" Mei and Hong watched their brother take a deep breath before rubbing his forehead. "Two things, Kiku. One, it's _Ninus's_ tomb. Two, you don't even say that line yet, aru! Aiya, you spoke all your lines in one go. The last line is in reply to Pyramus."

"Gomen nasai," Kiku mumbled.

"Hai, Yong Soo!" Yao called out crossly. "Kiku skipped your cue, aru! It was supposed to be '_loyal horse_.'"

"Ah! I know that I can rely on you as well as the most loyal horse," Kiku hastily repeated.

They jumped in surprise at the sharp neigh that responded. Then, a monstrous sight strolled out from behind the large tree. The remaining five players looked on in horror as the big, brown eyes blinked twice, the horsey nostrils flared, but unmistakably human hands reached out towards Kiku.

"As I am, my fairest Thisby," the transformed man crowed in something that only vaguely resembled Yong Soo's voice. "As much as I am so, I am yours too."

The creature blinked at the shell-shocked cast before him, puzzled at their stupefied reactions. Yao was the first to snap into action.

"HOLY BALLS, ARU!" He shrieked. "Something is seriously wrong with this place! Everybody, run!"

The would-be stars of the stage fled the scene in a mass panic. Kiku tripped over his robe, and Thai dropped his mask. Hong tried to help Yao gather all the other props as Mei ran past them, wailing in fear. In the midst of all this chaos, Alfred snuck out from behind his tree.

"Fun," he snickered to himself as Kiku finally managed to disentangle himself from the oversized dress, hurtling into the thicket. "I'll lead them on a merry chase, won't I? Time to test a real hero's secret superpower: shapeshifting!"

He bounded after the terrified Japanese man, chanting to himself.

"Is it a horse, A bear, a hound? Or is it_ Midnight Man_? Through whatever type of wilderness, nothing can stop him from achieving his ultimate destiny!"

Another high-pitched shout of laughter, and then all was silent.

Now left to his own devices, Yong Soo's long ears twitched indignantly. "What's gotten into them? Cowardice did _not_ originate in Korea, that's for sure! It's only because they're acting so strange!"

He was about to stomp away himself when Hong suddenly returned.

"Er, forgot my script," he said lamely, snatching up the paper. The boy stared intently at his former colleague. "If only I had some sort of device to record this image…really, you wouldn't believe what you'd see."

Yong Soo scowled. "What I see? I only see an idiot donkey-head called Hong standing in front of me, da ze."

"HONG!" In seconds, Yao came racing back frantically. Grabbing his younger brother's collar, he began to drag him away, calling out behind him. "Aiya, I'm so sorry, Yong Soo. But you've been bewitched, aru!"

Yong Soo snorted angrily as the brothers fled the scene. "I can see what they're up to. They all want to make me look like an ass, da ze. If they think I will be scared, they're wrong! Bravery originated from Korea! I'll show them – whatever they do to me, I won't run with my tail between my legs…I know! I'll sing, and they'll know that all Koreans are fearless, da ze!"

He turned his heel in the opposite direction and began to march into the wood, singing boldly.

_Why are you trying to, to make me leave you?  
>I know what you're thinking,<br>Baby, why aren't you listening?  
>How can I just love someone else and forget you completely<br>When I know you still love me?  
><em>

As Yong Soo crashed and bumbled through the brush, Elizabeta stirred not ten feet away. Sitting up sluggishly, she did not notice the tiny lilac pearl of liquid that slipped down her cheek.

"Mm? What angelic voice wakes me from my sleep?"

_I want nobody, nobody but you!  
>I want nobody, nobody but you!<br>How can I be with another, I don't want any other,  
>I want nobody, nobody!<br>Nobody, nobody!_

Yong Soo finally rounded the bend and stopped dead when he saw the Faerie Queen sitting at the edge of her seat, looking on eagerly at him.

"Don't stop singing! It was beautiful. As are you…" she sighed. The changed man stared at her in confusion.

"So much that I must declare that I think…the moment I saw you…I love you."

He certainly hadn't been expecting that. Yong Soo stared at the woman for a moment, her green eyes shining with delight. Perhaps she was mad? Then again, love was a sort of madness…

"Ahh…well, miss, you don't really have a reason to love me…but still, love and reason don't really go together, do they?" Emboldened by her rapt listening, Yong Soo went on. "Maybe someone should introduce them, da ze? Heh, joking originated in Korea, you kno-"

He was interrupted with a loud sigh of infatuation. "And you're just as clever as you are handsome!"

Yong Soo blinked again. "Ahh...if you say so, madam. But really, if I were that smart, I'd just try to find my way out of here."

He whinnied in shock when the woman suddenly threw herself at him, clinging to his arms.

"NO! Don't leave me! Never leave this wood! I demand you stay here, whether you want to or not! I'm no commoner, even the seasons bend to my will. I LOVE you. If you stay, I promise that faeries shall serve you in every way, from fetching the most precious gems to the loveliest flowers – oh, my sweet, please remain with me. I will remove all your mortal flaws until you're one of us."

Before he could answer, the faerie straightened up (still with an iron grip on his wrist, he noticed) and barked, "RAIVIS! TORIS! FELIKS! EDUARD!"

Yong Soo heard a frantic rustle in the background, but Elizabeta smirked triumphantly at him. As he opened his mouth to protest again, she had given him a mighty shove, and he tripped backwards into the leafy nest of a bed. Cowed by her strength, he glanced up timidly at the excited lady perched next to him.

The rustling grew louder, and suddenly four harried-looking sprites popped out of the bush nearby, scrambling to form a line.

"Here!" trembled the first, whose wide eyes stuck out beneath the circlet of pea blossoms, perched on his wispy blond hair.

"Present and accounted for!" gasped the second, with shaggy brown locks and dressed in a tunic of shimmering silver, as if they were tightly woven strands of dew and spider web.

"Like, me too," chirped the third, stretching out his velvety wings behind him.

"At your service, your majesty," finished the fourth, tugging hastily at his yellow robe, trying to smooth out creases.

Elizabeta led the quartet towards the bed, where they gazed at the amazed man with great interest. The Queen sat down next to him and began stroking his nose affectionately.

"You are to serve under this man at all costs. Entertain him with dancing, and feed him only the best produce that nature grows. Even if it requires taking honey from the bees, and stealing their wax to light the darkness when he sleeps and wakes. And take butterfly wings to fan him, if need be." Elizabeta snapped out of her poetic reverie again and looked at her followers sternly. "Well? Mind your manners! Bow and curtsy!"

Raivis, Toris and Eduard started guiltily and automatically bowed low. Feliks offered a deep curtsy.

"Greetings," they chorused.

Yong Soo was beginning to feel much more comfortable in this situation. Gaining a little band of servants as well as a gorgeous woman who adored him was a rather nice turn of events. Feeling much more encouraged, he addressed his new staff with authority.

"Well! I'm sure we will get along, da ze…but sorry, what are your names again?"

He proffered a hand to one of the sprites, who shook it firmly.

"They call me Toris."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Toris! Your suit is fascinating, da ze. If ever I cut my finger, I'll know who to find for a bandage, then. And you, who are you?"

The smallest bobbed his head in another bow. "I am Raivis, sir!"

"Ah! Well, say hello to your parents for me, with all respect. I have the feeling we will work together splendidly!"

Feliks preened, preparing himself for introduction. But to his surprise and indignation, Yong Soo ignored the winged sprite completely and moved on to the next one.

"And your name?"

"Eduard, my lord."

"My good Mr. Eduard! I see that your suit is dyed with the mustard-seed. Dyeing clothes originated in Korea, you know! Mustard is delicious with a good steak, da ze. We'll see much of each other in the future!"

The four servants – well, save for one, who was sulking at the moment – bowed once more to their new master.

"Alright," sniffed Elizabeta, beginning to feel jealous of the attention that her new sweetheart had lost interest in her. "That's enough for now. Let us go to another part of the wood. I feel as if the moon and flowers weep for unrequited love. We will go silently."

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><p><strong>AN: Crackiest pairing ever? YES**

**I have always found it amusing that Bottom does not address Moth. It has led my friends and I to joke that Moth must be the "ugly" faerie servant. That being said, it took me a while to think of a way to paraphrase Bottom/Yong Soo's reply to the faerie servants, because he uses puns on their names. I decided to make their original names (Pease-blossom, Cobweb, Moth and Mustard-seed) the theme for their clothing instead.**


	6. Act III, scene ii: part 1

**A/N: I'm sorry that I've become really sporadic in updating this story. The truth is that although I still love the concept, it's hard to keep focus at the moment...with this being my last lazy student summer, I'm really disinclined to do anything productive. But I've sworn to finish this by September, so ass, prepared to be kicked!**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.<strong>

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><p>On the far edge of the forest, Sadiq sat upon a broad limb of a Hazel tree, feeling restless. He desperately wanted to know if Elizabeta had woken up. But even more, he desperately wanted to know just what she had seen, for she would have automatically pounced upon it. Knowing her capacity for possessiveness…he couldn't <em>wait<em>.

An echoing laugh told him Alfred was finally back.

"Jones!" he called sharply. "Report!"

The mischievous spirit tumbled from the brush, doubled over in mirth.

"Okay, so," he gasped. "My Queen...is in love...with a _monster_."

A snort of laughter burst out of him again. Sadiq raised an eyebrow. "Really, now? Let's hear the tale."

Alfred leapt to attention, beaming. Excited for this chance to re-enact his supremely awesome exploits, he zipped to the clear spot in front of his king and struck a pose.

"Allow me to set the scene! The place: the Elizabeta's bower, the most magical ground one can imagine. Dead centre: the Queen, so deeply asleep, so she has no clue what's going on."

"Pan left!" He shouted, skidding in said direction. "What's this? Mortal men from the town come to rehearse a play? COULD IT TRULY BE?" Alfred dramatically feigned shock and terror. "Not even noblemen, but common tradesmen – so close to the Faerie Queen! And what play are they rehearsing?"

He dropped to one knee and began to mimic Kiku and Yong Soo's awkward gestures. "Nothing less than the tale of Pyramus and Thisby – all for the Duke Bonnefoy's wedding. The biggest dork of 'em all, their romantic hero..." At this, Alfred rolled his eyes, revealing just how heroic he had found the performance. "Ditched his scene to bumble around in the bushes."

"Well, such sad entertainment and disrespectful behaviour for the arts is a serious offence." He hopped to his feet again, blue eyes glittering mischievously. "Obviously, someone had to come along and save the day...or the play, at least!"

He dashed up a tree and into its branches, shouting all the while. "Thisby calls! Pyramus answers, but no longer are the lines cheap! The story, stale no more! For the ass has returned, and so an ass he is!"

Alfred pushed back a branch to peer down at a slightly perplexed Sadiq.

"I turned his head into a donkey's," he explained.

"Ahh."

"Anyway!" He quickly returned to his dramatic pose. "When the rest of those poor dudes saw what's become of their buddy, they fled like a pack of scaredy-cats! It was a lot of fun, running up and down the forest..." He cackled. "Oh, they were scared shitless, begging for help, all for-"

"ALFRED!" Sadiq growled impatiently. "What about Elizabeta?"

"Oh, yeah. She woke up, saw the donkey guy, and now thinks he's the hottest thing to walk the planet."

It was Sadiq's turn to laugh.

"That's...that's even _better_ than I expected! Good work. What about the lovers? Did you use the flower, like I told you to?"

Alfred swelled with pride again. "Duh! A hero never shirks his duty. I found him sleeping, with the other next to him, so _nothing_ could go wrong there."

The noise of creatures crashing through the undergrowth alerted the devious pair of incoming visitors. The faeries quickly melted into the dark shadows of the higher branches, watching carefully.

Feliciano came into sight, looking every bit scared and perhaps even, a bit paranoid. His clothes were ripped and dirty, as if he'd been running around the forest blindly. On his tail was Antonio, trying to grab onto a fistful of shirt to hold the younger boy back.

"That's him. Let's watch." Sadiq nodded towards Antonio.

Alfred looked at him strangely. "Uhh...no. I saw the one who looks like he's gonna pee his pants, but not the other guy."

"Feli!" Antonio's face was filled with disappointment, having been rejected numerous times in the past hour. "How can you run from somebody who wants to protect you? You should only say bad things about bad people!"

"I have every reason to think of _you_ as a bad person!" Feliciano's voice was high and shrill as his eyes darted around. "If you did anything to Ludwig, there's no way I can even trust you at all, vee!"

He tripped over a large tree root and went sprawling into the dirt. Antonio hurried over to help him up but Feliciano scrambled aside, tears welling up once again at the memory of his love.

"Where IS he?" The sound of wailing filled the air. "Vee...If you killed him, Antonio, you better kill me too! Ludwig would never leave me," He mumbled, staring into space. "Nobody could be more faithful than him. Bu...but what if he actually left me there all alone?"

Feliciano began to pace. "No, no. The world would fall apart before that could ever happen. Right? Right..."

Suddenly, he whirled around and jabbed a finger at Antonio. "YOU did this! There's no other reason to why you look so serious now, you, you – murderer!"

Antonio pouted. "That's not fair! I'm the one who should feel murdered. It's like you stuck a knife through my heart with how mean you're acting now, Feli...and still managing to be so cute at the same time-"

He was cut off, as Feliciano refused to be sidetracked. "Vee? That has nothing to do with Ludwig! Where is he?"

Feeling tired of racing around the stupid trees in the middle of the night, just to find his object of affection going slightly insane over some other man, Antonio couldn't stand for this much longer. Sitting down on the ground, he scowled.

"He can go rot for all I care."

"_Vee?_ WHAT?" If he had been merely nervous and twitchy before, Feliciano had now crossed over into full-blown panic and terror. The Italian grabbed Antonio's arm and began to tug on it frantically. "What did you do to him? Tell me the truth! I bet you did it when he was just sleeping, vee! How could you-"

"You're wasting your breath, Feli!" Antonio managed to stop the attack on his right shoulder. "I didn't kill him. I don't even know if he's dead or not."

Feliciano's face fell. This had been his only lead to where Ludwig could possibly be. "Vee...Antonio, can you just _say_ he's alright? Please?"

"Why should I?"

To his surprise, Feliciano suddenly swelled up with anger and began to shout at him. "B-because then you can rest easy of never seeing me again, vee! I don't care whether he's dead or not, I'm going to find Ludwig! GOODBYE FOREVER!"

With that, he dashed headlong into the trees again, leaving an exhausted and irritated Spaniard.

Antonio leaned back against a tree. "Damn." It was useless to chase after Feliciano now, especially when he was all worked up. The best thing was to regain his energy...and hopefully, heal his pride.

Within minutes, he was fast asleep. From above, two faeries dropped silently to the ground and stared at him.

"Nothing could go wrong, eh?" Sadiq nudged Antonio's leg with his foot, glaring at Alfred. "Look at what you've done! Congratulations, you've just ruined a perfectly good relationship, instead of mending a broken one!"

Alfred rocked back on his heels, trying to look nonchalant. A hero could not lose his dignity, even in failure. "Well...that's how it goes, isn't it? People fall in and out of love at the weirdest times, you know. For every guy promising to be true, there's like a million breaking their own, right?"

Sadiq was having none of it. "What you are going to do now, Jones, is to find Lovino Vargas. Not any other, you understand? He can't be far from here – stumbling around, cursing and crying, I'm sure. And when you find him, use all and anything within your bag of tricks to bring him here. I'll deal with this one."

He received a mock-sombre salute from his minion, who raced off into the wood like a bullet. Sadiq watched him leave with narrowed eyes. Then he knelt down to inspect Antonio further.

A rather brainless looking fellow, he thought. Nonetheless, Sadiq held to his vow and dropped the flower's purple liquid over Antonio's eyelids.

"And when you wake, you'll be begging for his forgiveness," he told the sleeping form. Alfred came bouncing in.

"You were right! He was like ten minutes away!" The trickster scrambled up into the branches. "But, ahh...you know the other guy? That was with Feliciano? He's here too. Following Lovino."

Sadiq swiftly joined his henchman in the trees. Alfred grinned at him.

"This should be _fun_!"

His master listened intently below. "They'll wake Antonio, with that racket."

Alfred cackled with delight. "Then there will be two lovesick idiots. I can't wait!"

Sure enough, Lovino came falling into view, scrambling backwards – and over the same tree root that Feliciano had encountered before. Ludwig came striding out of the darkness.

"Why won't you even listen to what I have to say?" An touch of exasperation was in Ludwig's voice as he attempted to reach out to Lovino, who leaned away fearfully. "Look, would someone who wants to scorn and ridicule you be so patient and gentle with you? Why would they be willing to undergo the same, only for that? Just think, Lovino. Nothing that I've done gives you any reason to act so harshly towards me."

"I don't need a damn reason!" Lovino was edging away warily, unknowingly closer to where Antonio was sprawled upon the ground. "I'm not falling for your tricks, bastard. Everything you said is for Feli. You sick, stupid, two-timing jerk! You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to tell him how you've treated me, and that the vows of an asshole isn't worth shit-"

"I told you already, I wasn't thinking properly at the time." Ludwig was beginning to sound more annoyed than beseeching.

"Well, I can't think of any proper way you can just pull the fucking switch on him like this," spat Lovino.

For all of the flower's influence, this was beginning to resemble most of Ludwig and Lovino's typical conversations.

"Face it, Lovino. Antonio loves Feliciano, and he doesn't love you!"

Dead silence followed this last shout. Ludwig's stomach churned when he saw the stark, genuine despair written all over Lovino's face.

"...Lovi?"

Ironically, the moment when all noise ceased was the point that Antonio finally stirred. Lovino let out a squawk of surprise and jerked his head around to see a very familiar figure pulling himself to his feet.

"Lovi?" Antonio blinked twice, as if to rid himself of some silly fancy from before. "Lovi! What are you doing here?"

Lovino gaped at him. Antonio walked over, smiling happily at him.

"Look at you. You're a complete mess." He began to brush the dirt off of Lovino's clothes, as well as smoothing out the ruffled hair. "Though I have to say the way that nobody could make dirt look as good as you do!" Antonio, still glowing, gently lifted Lovino's chin towards him. "Silly Lovi, you look like a tomato when you blu-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Antonio was knocked back by a sudden shove – over that same tree root, who was beginning to feel rather abused.

"THAT'S IT!" Lovino glared at both Ludwig and Antonio, who were taken aback at this outburst. "I've had it up to here with both of you fuckers. Why decide to use me for your own stupid fucking entertainment? What's wrong with going out and doing something normal, huh, like...goddamnit, I don't even know!"

He began to pace, not unlike another Italian not thirty minutes before. "If either of your bastards had even the tiniest fucking bit of decency you'd leave me the fuck alone, for once! What's so wrong about me," he begged, "That you have to _hate_ me so much?"

Both men looked horrified at such a statement, but Lovino didn't even notice. It seemed that this might have been coming for a long time, and only the dark, mysterious, and uncertain aura of the forest could bring it out of him.

"You know how fucking ironic it is, that you both are rivals for Feli? So it's easy to pair up and try to compete for the Let's-make-Lovino's-life-hell contest too, huh? Oh yeah, that's a fucking good laugh!" He slammed a running kick into a poor tree trunk, which shook from such ferocity. "Ten points if you can get him to yell at you. Fifty if he _cries_!"

Energy spent, Lovino plopped onto the forest floor and curled up, sulkily pulling his knees to his chest. Antonio made as if he were to console him, but a strong hand on his arm stopped him.

"He's right, Antonio," Ludwig said coldly. "You've done a lot to hurt Lovino, so you should apologize. On my part, I'll gladly let you have Feliciano, since I know that's what you've been after all this time."

"Don't waste your breath, bastard," snapped a balled-up Lovino. "You're just as bad as he is!"

Antonio was smiling once again, but it was not the same cheerful expression that he was wearing earlier. "Ha, funny you should mention that, Ludwig. You can keep him. Any love I might have felt for Feli is definitely gone now, so it's back with Lovi I go."

"He's lying," Ludwig warned Lovino, who was ignoring him.

"Don't say things you don't know," snapped Antonio, who had gripped his rival's wrist tightly. "Unless you're willing to be _corrected_...ah!"

Caught off guard, Ludwig was spun around to face the way he had come.

Antonio's smirk widened. "Feli! He's here, not dead at all!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****This scene is RIDICULOUSLY long, so I'm splitting it into two parts.**

**Though HIGHLY unlikely, but anyone in Hong Kong this weekend MUST attend Ani-Com and Games HK! I mean, it's only the biggest and best comicon in the city, and for a good price too! (ACGHK is $28HK/day, which is roughly $3-4US.) I will be there for most of Saturday afternoon and maybe even Tuesday. If you see a non-cosplay Chinese girl yammering loudly in American English and sporting a small green and white backpack with HRE and Chibitalia pins on them, come say hello! I am very outgoing and friendly. Perhaps a bit too much, so if you're shy you might**_** not**_** want to say hello...**


	7. Act III, scene ii: part 2

**A/N: OH DEAR GOD I CERTAINLY DID NOT MEAN TO LEAVE THIS HANGING FOR THAT LONG. I-it's been over half a year...Please take this chapter with my most humble apologies! /prostrates self in humiliation**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
><strong>**MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.**

* * *

><p>Right on cue, Feliciano burst out of the shadows with a squeal. Antonio hid a grin as Feliciano skidded to a halt, gasping for breath and on the edge of tears.<p>

"LUDWIG!" The tiny Italian threw himself at the much larger German, grabbing at unresponsive hands. "Th-the dark…it was so scary; I started to hear things! Almost like I could hear twice as much because I couldn't see…" Feliciano buried his face into the rough cotton sleeve of Ludwig's robe. "Vee, I had to hear my way to you, Ludwig…why, why did you go away?"

Ludwig shook him off easily. "Why wouldn't I go, if love called elsewhere?"

"Vee…?" Feliciano's eyes glimmered dangerously with the unshed tears that sat there. "What love would take you away from me…?"

"My love. For Lovino. Obviously." The expression on Ludwig's face was still frightening, even on such a subject as love. "Why are you looking for me? Isn't it clear that I left because I couldn't stand being near such a thing as you?"

The silence in the clearing could have stopped time. Feliciano was still hanging limply off Ludwig's sleeve, mouth opened slightly in disbelief. Only when Ludwig pulled his arm away did he cry out again.

"V-vee…? That, that can't be true! You're not right, I…"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

In the midst of all this drama, Lovino had jumped back up onto his feet. Although stumbling a bit, he angrily shoved Antonio's offered arm away to face Feliciano face to face. The younger Italian's face grew more and more confused and upset as Lovino began to rail at him.

"Oh, I get it. I finally fucking get it. So you all decided it'd be fun to flip the switch on Lovino because he's so wimpy and pathetic and just not good enough for any of you…"

Feliciano squeaked and made a move to reach out to him, but Lovino swatted his hand away.

"And, of all people! Feliciano. Damn. Haven't you conspired with them to taunt me?" He tried to keep his voice hard, but the smallest of tears began to creep in. "Even after everything we went through together. That's some fucking good friendship right here…before and even after school. People said you and I were two sides of the same coin, berries on a stem, bearing the same coat of arms, all the same stupid metaphors. Now you're choosing to break all that apart and join these rat bastards in scorning your friend? This is so not like you. This isn't who we are. But I guess I'm the only one who can see that."

Lovino had barely finished this rant when Feliciano straightened, shocked into speech.

"I promise I don't know why you're so angry, vee! I'm not conspiring anything…it seems like you're the one-"

"Oh, really?" The Italians were almost nose to nose, frowning at each other with a ferocity that had never been between them before. Lovino continued to snarl.

"So, you haven't sent that dumb potato idiot to rub all my problems into my face by saying he's in love with me? Praising my eyes, my face, my fucking whatever. And if that wasn't so bad, telling Antonio – who just an hour ago would have fucking killed me – to follow me around and calling me things like…like…" Against his will, Lovino felt a blush creep across his face. "D-divine…rare…precious…"

"B-but he hates me!" He flung an arm out in the direction of the Spaniard, one finger thrust out accusingly. "Why would he say shit like that to someone he hates? Why would Ludwig pulling his own bullshit by denying that he's in love with you and say that to me if you didn't tell him to do it? He wouldn't come three feet of me if it weren't for you."

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" Lovino grabbed Feliciano's shoulders, gripping tightly. "You have everything and I have nothing so why the fucking hell would you make it even worse for me?"

"I don't understand what you mean by this," Feliciano wailed, close to tears.

Lovino folded his arms and sneered. "Oh, nice. Putting on the wide-eyed, crybaby act. Probably laughing when I turn my back though, right? Smirking and sharing your stupid secret. Well, I'm not gonna forget about this, assholes. And I'm not gonna play your stupid games. I'm leaving. It's my own fault for coming out here in the first place."

Before Lovino could take a single step, Ludwig blocked him from moving.

"Wait, Lovino. Don't go, my love, my life, my soul…"

The Italian tried to kick him, grimacing. "Seriously? Still?"

Feliciano jumped forward, summoning up the last of his courage to pull Ludwig back. "Ludwig, vee…? Don't make fun of him like that!"

"If Feliciano can't convince you to stop hurting my Lovi, I'll make you," warned Antonio. Ludwig snorted.

"You could make me as much as he could convince me. Considering how your strength is as potent as his begging," he shot.

The shadows of branches shifted as the men glared at each other. Lovino tried to use this moment to make good his escape, but Ludwig had ahold of him once again.

"Lovino, I promise I love you. By my life, I do. And I swear by that, so much I'd lose it for you just to prove it to anyone who says I don't…"

Antonio was suddenly at Lovino's other side. "And I say that I love you more than he ever could."

A dangerous smile slid its way onto Ludwig's face. "Fine. If you say so, draw your sword. Prove it."

He didn't have to say much more. Antonio's hand instantly flew to his side, resting upon the hilt. "Go ahead, come at me!"

"Vee, wait!" Feliciano threw himself in between them. "Ludwig, what is this all about?"

His former lover didn't even look at him. "Get away." A rough shove was enough to send the slight Italian to the ground.

Antonio narrowed his eyes. So his rival certainly had strength. It would be a gamble to take him on at full power. But he still had time; Feliciano, amazingly, continued to have the courage to try to prevent Ludwig from reaching his weapon.

"Get off!" Tiny leaves at the top of trees twenty metres away shook at the roar. "You useless hanger-on…vile thing, let loose of me or I shall remove you in any way I wish…"

Feliciano's cries mixed into Ludwig's cursing. "V-vee? Why are you so mean to me, Luddy? What kind of change is this, my love-"

"Love?" Ludwig paused just long enough to laugh hollowly. "Get out of here. Out I said, you disgusting thing Away from me."

Even Lovino and Antonio were watching in a horrified fascination. Feliciano slowly withdrew his fingers from Ludwig's belt.

"Y….you're only joking, vee?"

Not even cold blue eyes graced Feliciano with an answer. To the side, Lovino stood, frozen in the motion of leaving, but riveted by the scene before his eyes.

"Of course he is," he muttered, "And so are you, damnit."

Antonio curled his fingers more tightly around the hilt of his sword. There seemed to much more to Ludwig than what met the eye. The man was dangerous. Not just in the matters of a fight, but in everything he did. The German now turned back to him, albeit stiffly.

"Antonio, I will keep my word with you."

"I'd certainly like to believe that," Antonio said slowly. "But this has shown me that you seem to make rather weak promises, so I won't trust you on anything."

"What?" Ludwig's voice thundered once again through the wood. "You think I'd hurt him, hit him, and finish him off? Just because I hate him doesn't mean I'm going to cause any harm."

"HATE?"

Feliciano jumped back into the fray, the single word bringing a newfound energy and passion to his entire being. The tiny youth stared Ludwig down.

"What could harm me more than saying that you hate me, vee? H-hate, me…why? Vee, tell me why! I-I'm still Feliciano, and you're still Ludwig! I'm the same as I was before! Since tonight, when you said you loved me, and the same night you left me…w-why you left me…you're not serious…vee?"

"As serious as I ever could be," was the cold reply. "I swear it upon my life. Never have I wanted to be far from you than this. So let me say this for the last time. It is no joke. I hate you, and love Lovino."

The silence that followed was, in actuality, not as silent as it could have been. Lovino squeaked in indignation, Antonio shifted apprehensively, his boots scuffling on the grass, and Feliciano took a deep breath.

"I…I…"

This time, Lovino let out a half-scream as Feliciano came bearing down on him without warning.

"Vee, Lovi! Did you really…" Tears springing to his eyes, Feliciano now attached himself firmly to his former friend's arm. "…steal him from me? Why! How could you, vee!"

"No fucking way," hissed Lovino, struggling over the roots to get away from the clawing fingers of his former best friend. "Could you even think of such a ridiculous thing. Why the hell would I be after a stupid potato idiot? You're putting words into my fucking mouth, you tiny little flaky flake!"

"Tiny? Little?" If Ludwig's shouting could cause tremors twenty metres away, Feliciano's shrieks easily doubled that range. "Vee, Lovi, don't play that game…just because you're taller than me doesn't mean I can't be equal to you! Do you think you're better than you,"

He tugged urgently on the arm he was grasping, but its owner scurried from tree to tree, yelping. Though Feliciano did not mean to cause harm, Lovino's bitterness and insecurity had kicked his fight or flight instincts into overdrive, particularly flight.

"Oi, you bastards! You might be bastards, but don't let him touch me! Fine! I'll admit it – I'm not a fighter type, but just because Feli's younger than me doesn't mean I can fight him-"

"Y-younger! Vee, that too?"

Lovino squeaked in fear as Feliciano dove at him, and rushed to another tree, panting.

"Feli, stop!" He clung to the bark, trembling slightly. "I didn't do a fucking thing against you! Well, um. Except for maybe telling Antonio where you were going…but th-that's not the point!"

Feliciano had halted, slightly taken aback at this sudden change in topic. Lovino shut his eyes tightly and went on.

"H-he…followed you, and I followed him, but he told me to fuck off, basically and almost hit me and spurned me and maybe he could've even killed me b-but…I just want to go, okay? I'll leave you alone. I'll go back to the goddamn city with my goddamn troubles and you'll never have to see me again."

The genuine defeat in his voice was enough to make Feliciano's step falter. The younger boy's eyes widened slightly, and his fingers twitched as if they wanted to reach out and hug. But instead, they curled into fists.

"F-fine. If you don't want to be friends…" Feliciano folded his arms tightly, biting back tears. "Then just go, vee…What's keeping you…"

Lovino reddened again, and kicked a tiny stone along the ground. It bounced along the dirt until it hit another root, and rolled into a shadowy crevice between a cluster of trees. Nobody noticed this.

"My idiot heart, that I leave here," he mumbled.

"What, with Ludwig?"

"No, stupid, with Antonio!"

"Don't be afraid. Feliciano won't even touch you, Lovino."

Antonio sprang forward at Ludwig's words. His wry grin was back as he shielded Lovino from the other two.

"Ah, si. Of course he won't. Even if you help him."

Lovino didn't seem to believe either. "Feli can act like a total dumbass, but if he gets angry...gets manipulative as hell. You should have seen him at school. He might be small, but he's frightening."

"Again, small? Vee, nothing but small, or little…" Feliciano struggled against Ludwig's arm. "Why do you talk like that! Let me go to him!"

He was pushed back, and Ludwig frowned thunderously down upon him. "Get you gone, insignificant thing. Away. Out. From here."

Lovino had to admit that the absolutely crushed expression on Feliciano's face was heartbreaking. But if your boyfriend turned out to be a damn good actor, was it really his fault? Lovino was so surprised that he didn't notice that as Antonio clapped a hand down on his shoulder, the other hand was still resting on his sword grip, light but alert.

"Such authority on the behalf of someone who scorns you," he mocked. "Don't you speak of Lovino that way. And such treatment of an innocent – one step out of line, and you'll pay for it."

In an instant, Ludwig was face to face with him, only a breadth's distance between the challenging eyes of blue and green.

"There," he said. "He no longer holds onto me. Follow me, if you dare to, and we'll see if Lovino is mine or yours."

Antonio grinned. "Follow you? No, I think not. By your side as equals, if anything."

Feliciano and Lovino stared in amazement as the men sprinted off to duel for love. Lovino, though still suspicious of this entire ordeal, felt slightly put off that two people, who claimed to be fighting in his name, had seemed to forget about him entirely. Feliciano was the first to move.

"Vee…" he cast a sidelong glance at Lovino. "Even if this is all your fault, don't go back. It's dangerous, vee-"

"Fuck no," was the automatic response. "I can still run, damnit. And I'm gonna get as far as I can from you!"

Lovino took off in the opposite direction, the faint sounds of crashing through the undergrowth echoing in his wake. Feliciano looked around, now completely alone.

"Vee…_what is happening?_"

Then he too began to run, not sure where to go in this mysterious, magical, maze of a forest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'll admit it, I got a bit liberal in my paraphrasing in this one. Then again, there were also lines I lifted completely from the script. (And, ****I kind of hate my writing right now****...) Anyway, now that we're back on track, a few notes:**

**Act is going to be in three parts, because it's the longest thing in the universe. Last year I did my big essay on Shakespearean scenic form and his penchant for "symmetry" in play structure. Which usually culminated in the middlest scene to last forever. So I totally used this scene as an example. **_**Othello **_**is another really good one.**

**Schoolwork is gonna make it hard, but I'm aiming to update this every two weeks on WEDNESDAYS. Now see me break **_**this**_** promise…not! /determined face**


	8. Act III, scene ii: part 3

**A/N: The third and final part of Act ! Didn't update on time, but at least it's on a Wednesday...? This one came easier to me than the other one, so I feel it makes for much better reading. I hope you enjoy it ^-^**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
><strong>**MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.**

* * *

><p>The clearing returned to its still silence once more as the last of Feliciano's steps died away. Night retook the wood, air humming only with whispers of the warm wind tickling the leaves, or the odd chirp of a cricket, hoot of an owl.<p>

In spite of the healthy breeze billowing about, the two shadowy figures perched on the tallest tree were completely still. There were a few more moments of the precious, peaceful silence, before Sadiq shoved Alfred angrily off the branch.

"Ooof!" He managed to somersault back onto his feet, but had no time to protest before his King had pinned him to the trunk.

"This is the result of your negligence." For all of Alfred's pluck and charm, it was everything he could do not to wilt beneath Sadiq's glare. "Either you made a mistake, or is this another of your mischievous plots?"

Alfred squirmed in his grasp. "A mistake! Honest! Hey, all you told me to do was to find a young man. So I did exactly what you did – I found a young man and anointed his eyes with the flower stuff. Nobody told ME that there were going to be four of them running around!"

Sadiq frowned. His henchman actually had a point. Dropping the sprite (another "oof!" echoed through the clearing), he turned on his heel to pace, trying to make sense of this entire debacle. Alfred dropped to the forest floor as he rubbed his sternum, muttering darkly to himself.

"Whatevs man, I'm kinda glad that it all screwed up this way, it was hilarious to me…"

"Jones. You see that those men intend to find a place to fight." Sadiq had turned back, cape twitching ever so slightly at the ends. "So you must cast the wood in darkness. That way you can use it as a cover to lead these rivals away from each other. They must not meet."

"But why?" Alfred sulked, still resentful over being grabbed. "That would be fun…"

Sadiq ignored the interruption. "Change your voice to suit Ludwig's and use it to bait Antonio. Then sometimes, make it resemble that of Antonio's…That will be how you can separate the two." Mind shifting into top diabolical faerie mode, he grinned in satisfaction. "They shall run on exhausted legs until sleep overcomes their eyes, and neither can no longer last. When that happens, Jones, you're to take the flower and place it upon _Ludwig's_ eyelids, understand? It's the only thing that can fix this entire stupid mess."

Alfred flipped onto his feet and saluted earnestly. Sadiq produced the violet petals from his cloak.

"When all of them wake up in the morning, it will be nothing but a dream of lovers and madmen."

His henchman accepted his task, this time with all the pomp and dignity which could even make a certain queen's aide begrudgingly approve, perhaps. "And then where will they go, sire? What will you be doing?"

Sadiq shrugged. "Back to the city. Each of them hopelessly in love with the _right_ people, of course, until death do them part and all that rot. Me, I'll go see what Elizabeta is up to with her donkey boytoy…maybe he's making her happy enough to give up a certain childservant. Though I wonder how happy she'll _actually_ be once I remove her from this sorry state the spell has driven her into."

Even in his upright and serious pose, Alfred couldn't help snickering at the image of Yong Soo and Elizabeta frolicking through the forest.

"Wait. Hey, Sadiq. Is that…"

The two turned eastwards to stare at the horizon. At the very edge, a sliver of navy was sneaking its way into the black darkness of the sky. The shimmering starlight above the forest was beginning to fade, signalling the oncoming arrival of the much brighter, stronger and attention-seeking sun.

The faeries exchanged glances. This night of pure revelry and mayhem was nearly at its end.

Alfred glanced down at the flower in his hands, betraying uncertainty for the first time. "Daylight…spirits can't walk in broad daylight. It's like a weakness. These things can only be done at night…"

He was shocked out of his doubt by a firm hand clapping onto his shoulder.

"We are not of the spirit realm," Sadiq said. "We are the Faerie. I have spent many a day in the morning light. But you do have a point…these games are only for the cover of night. So get going!"

He pushed off from the sprite's shoulder as he leapt into the branches, leaving Alfred to stagger backwards, fumbling with the flower as his master flew through the trees.

"Right." He lifted the stem between his thumb and forefinger, giving it a stern staredown. "A hero must do his duty to his lord and kingdom! And that means Sadiq and Faerie. Change my voice, separate the men…I will lead them on a most merry chase! I am the Rogue! I am the Midnight Man! I am…ALFRED JONES!"

No sooner had he declaimed his self-inspiring monologue that the noise of crushing underbrush came into hearing. Alfred tucked the flower into his belt and darted into the shadows.

* * *

><p>Ludwig tumbled back into the clearing, sweaty, tense and infuriated.<p>

"Where are you, Antonio!" He spun around. "Speak up!"

"Over here! Ready for ya at anytime, dude. Where the hell are _you_?"

Ludwig frowned. Unmistakably, it was the Spaniard's voice. But…what vocabulary. Squinting to his right, he could barely make out a tall, lithe figure just behind a birch tree.

He glared at it. "I will be with you right away."

"If you can catch me!"

Ludwig tore after the fleeing shadow with a roar.

The leaves in the clearing quivered, then finally stilled. No more than ten seconds later, Antonio jumped nimbly over a rock and catapulted himself into the so recently vacated spot. He failed to noticed the scuffed dirt on the ground.

"Ludwig! I know you were here…I heard you! Do you run away, coward?" He slowly circled the clearing, arms raised in a guarded position. "Come on, where are you? Do you hide in the bushes?"

"Yo! Who're you calling a coward?" Antonio nearly jumped at the sound of a very familiar, but surprisingly indignant voice. "You're the guy who's talking to _bushes_. How 'bout you get over here? I'll totally beat you with this stick, because ain't nobody gonna pull a weapon on me!"

Antonio whirled around to his left, where the shout had come from. "Where are you?"

"Follow my voice! No way am I fighting you here."

A flash of blond hair was all it took to make Antonio race off into the forest.

* * *

><p>Ludwig returned to the clearing, the sweat on his brow now streaked with dirt and irritation. He had been chasing Antonio's voice for the better part of an hour. At first, he thought that he had been going to the precise place where Antonio should have been, but Ludwig had always found himself alone, in the end. It was all probably due to Antonio's lighter physique, he decided. Well, it was too late. His body was in no state to fight anymore. Antonio was probably tired too…might as well rest.<p>

As he lay down, Ludwig couldn't help but to pray for the morning to come. He swore that once it came, Antonio was a dead man.

Rolling over to his side beneath a shrub, Ludwig's slumbering figure became lost to the shadows. As such, Antonio didn't notice when he came panting in, gasping for breath. Alfred pranced around him, invisible to mortal eyes.

"Haha! Who's the coward now? Come at me, bro!"

Antonio frowned into the night. He'd underestimated Ludwig, that's for sure. The man was clearly not everything he seemed to be.

"Show yourself, if you dare. I know you run before me, but you shift from place to place because you don't want to fight me face to face. That's it, right? Where are you now?"

Alfred sped up to him, standing nearly nose to nose.

"Right here!" he sang gleefully.

He dodged nimbly as Antonio swiped the air.

"You mock me! Just know that if I ever see your face in daylight, you will regret everything that has happened tonight. Go your own way. I know when I can't go further. I'll stay here for the night, but you better be prepared for the day!"

This last speech took every last ounce of strength. Antonio's knees gave way, and he collapsed onto the forest floor, out like snuffed candlelight.

Alfred smirked at the two sleeping men. He congratulated himself – what a cunning plan! Nevermind that it had been Sadiq's anyway. His smile faded a little when he recalled the second part of his orders – where was he going to find Lovino and Feliciano? The blue had given way to pink. Sunrise was almost here.

"Why am I still here? Who knew that a stupid night in the goddamn forest would last so fucking long…"

Well, that was much easier than he thought. Alfred scrambled up a tree, just in time to hide himself from Lovino's angry, tired and bloodshot eyes.

"Come on already you stupid darkness, just go away! Ugh, just let the morning be here already." He flung himself onto the grass, barely three inches away from where Antonio was lying as a puddle of exhaustion. Lovino didn't even notice, still muttering to himself. "Then I can finally go home. Far away from all these people who hate me. Oh god. Maybe I should just get some fucking sleep, because then at least I can escape myself…"

He flopped down, one leg inadvertently kicking into Antonio's torso. The man was so tired that he didn't even stir, and Lovino was so lost in his own sorrow that he hardly registered that there was another human being next to him. Within seconds, his eyes were tightly shut, body and soul intent on escaping to dreamland.

Alfred leaned out from the branch and counted carefully. One, two, three.

"Come on, come on," he muttered, glancing at the brightening sky. "One more to go. Two couples make four."

As if answering his call, Feliciano wandered out of the shadows, twigs in his hair and tears in his eyes.

"Vee, I can't walk anymore!" Alfred had to admit that he'd never seen a more depressed expression in his immortal life. "I'm wet and dirty and tired and sad…I don't even know if I can crawl…" Feliciano managed to trip over his own feet and went tumbling to the ground.

"I can't even move my legs, vee!" Feliciano plopped himself down onto the grass, close to a shady shrub. "I guess I'll just have to stay here until the sun comes up…"

Alfred hastily pulled himself back into the shadows as Feliciano stared mournfully skywards.

"If there's any god up there, vee, please keep Ludwig safe!"

The youth curled up on the grass and was silent. After a minute, Alfred cautiously climbed down the tree.

"I'm not a god, but I'm damn well the closest thing you got to one."

He carefully plucked the flower from his belt and prodded Ludwig's shoulder. The big guy rolled over again, and Alfred realized that he now faced Feliciano, close enough for his breath to cause a ripple in the auburn hair. Perfect.

"Sleep tight, and I'll make sure love doesn't bite," he whispered, dotting his eyelids with the flower juice. "And when it's wakey time, you'll be back with the right person. Everything will be right again!"

Straightening up, Alfred examined the results of his mission. Here, Feliciano and Ludwig were practically cuddled up against each other. On the left side, Lovino was actually literally on top of Antonio. There was no way this could screw up. At all. Once again, the day was saved…by Alfred Jones!

He glanced up at the horizon. A golden ray had broken from the grey-pink clouds to pierce the sky, revealing a path of pale blue.

Once again, the night was saved by Alfred Jones. The sprite executed a perfect double cartwheel of celebration before zooming off into the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: TITLE DROP! /strikes silly pose**

**I actually wrote this at 3:30am while waiting for my housemate to get out of the bathroom so I can brush my teeth and go to bed. Moving into a house where you're not actually friends with others living there is a little frustrating. But hey, at least this came out of it, right? C:**

**Hope this was good enough to make up for my terrible updating schedule!**


	9. Act IV, scene i

**A/N: Sorry for being a little late! (But at least it hasn't been a month…) I've spent the last few days hemming and hawing over how to get this written. I'm always dissatisfied with my writing nowadays, which is getting in the way of getting stuff done/put out in time. That, and my editor friend is having me write more original stuff, which has also gotten in the way of this.**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
>MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.<strong>

* * *

><p>Alfred crowed triumphantly with his success, but Sadiq was long gone and too far to hear him. He knelt, hidden, in the crook of an ancient oak tree, and watched the most bizarre scene unfold before him.<p>

The Faerie Queen's entourage was gathered in a grove deep in the heart of the wood. Elizabeta was patting Yong Soo's head gently, staring at him with the strangest expression of adoration.

"Come and sit over here, my sweet," she cooed to him, gesturing at the bed of flowers. "Such cute little cheeks you have! I'll make you a wreath of roses and kiss your funny, tall ears."

Said ears twitched at their tips, and Yong Soo obediently sat. The night had been riotous fun up until this point. There was a very pretty lady giving him lots of lovely presents, and there was a horde of funny little glittering things who responded to his every whim. All of them had been immensely entertaining, but now he was feeling far too tired to continue in all the revels. These people were so energetic…to a point that was almost superhuman. Yong Soo whinnied towards the floating cloud of shimmering aides that surrounded him.

"Where's Mr. Raivis?"

The faerie automatically shot forward. "Ready!"

"Scratch my head, da-ze…Where's Mr. Toris?"

Toris also fluttered down, hastily wiping his palms on his silvery tunic. "Ready as well!"

Yong Soo snorted and shook his head, almost as if it was an attempt to shake off his exhaustion. "Ahh…Mr. Toris, do you know what would be so delicious at this time of year? A patbingsu. I just want a yummy patbingsu with yoghurt, berries, and condensed milk…good Mr. Toris, find me a patbingsu if you please! Don't worry too much about the details, but take care that it doesn't melt…I would be very sad if the patbingsu was all melted. Where's Mr. Eduard?"

"Ready, sir."

"Mmm…" Yong Soo's eyelids felt even droopier. "Ah, you can stop bowing now, da ze."

Eduard hesitated, sharing a glance with his comrades. "Er…but what is it that you want me to do?"

"Oh! Well, nothing…except to help Mr. Raivis scratch." Yong Soo sighed as the faeries obliged to his requests. "Hmm, maybe I should go get my hair cut, da ze…barbershops originated in Korea anyway, and I can get a cool haircut like Rain!" He reached up to pat his velvety nose. "My face is feeling also very hairy, da ze. I have such sensitive skin that if any hair tickles me, I must scratch it!"

Elizabeta watched as her newfound love continued to be distracted by the simple ministrations of her servants. A surprising emotion struck her heart – fear. There had to be something she could do to get him back to her. She leaned over desperately.

"Wouldn't you like to hear some music, darling?"

Yong Soo blinked slowly, savouring the vigorous scratch that Raivis and Eduard were administering. "Hey, good music originated in Korea, da ze!"

"Or perhaps something to eat? Anything?"

"Ahh…in all honesty, I wouldn't mind a nice big patch of grass. Or maybe crunchy oats, da ze." It was all too much – a yawn escaped Yong Soo's mouth, revealing a row of sturdy teeth. "I feel like I could devour a whole bundle of hay – yes, the best hay for eating can be found in Korea!"

Elizabeta shifted her position to massage his shoulders. "Well, I can have one of my more daring faeries steal some fresh nuts from a squirrel's hoard, if you like?"

Yong Soo leaned away. "No, no, I'd rather have some dried peas. But really, now I don't want anyone to bother me…a big wave of sleepiness just came upon me!"

She quickly shooed her servants away. "Of course, of course. Sleep tight, my beautiful dreamer. Faeries, scatter!"

Sadiq crouched deeper into the shadows as a flood of colourful, glittering spirits of light zoomed past him. Below, Elizabeta wrapped her arms around her precious little bumbling mortal, nuzzling into his scratchy donkey's neck as she too drifted to sleep. Sadiq felt his stomach churn a little. As annoying as she could be, there was something incredibly pitiful about the manipulation he'd done here.

He felt a sudden breeze waft its way past his ear and turned to see Alfred in the next tree, looking every inch as smug and devious as the Cheshire Cat himself.

"Good job, Jones. See that?" He nodded towards the odd couple slumbering beneath them. "I'm beginning to feel quite sorry about all of this…just a while ago, I found her on the outskirts of the wood, looking for little presents for this foolish man."

The duo made their way down the trunks and towards the sleeping couple. Alfred stared, wide-eyed and mildly shocked at the way Elizabeta snuggled so close to what was his craziest prank yet. Sadiq reached over and lifted the flower wreath off Yong Soo's head. The blossoms seemed to be drooping in shame, little dewdrops falling from the petals as if to mourn their role in this cruel joke.

"I couldn't help but to ridicule her. And you know what? The damn flower's turned her into this pathetic, docile little creature. She begged – _begged_ me to stop, and when I demanded to have the child as my handservant, she sent Arthur to my palace right away."

"Which one's Arthur?" Alfred interrupted.

"Never you mind. I have him now, so let's end this outrageous affair." Sadiq bent over Elizabeta's curled up form and gently pried her away from Yong Soo. "Take care of this fellow for me, Jones. Remove this stupid head from the mortal so that when he awakes, he'll return to the city in good form. All the events of tonight shall be nothing more than the vaguest of dreams."

Once on her back, Elizabeta crinkled her nose and sighed. In that instance, there was a flash of the headstrong, boisterous queen once again. Both Sadiq and Alfred were quiet as the last drops of the flower juice melted into her eyelashes. They remained so as she stretched, yawned, and sat up, eyelids fluttering open to see her husband directly in front of her.

"Sadiq! I had the most ridiculous dream. I thought I was in love with an ass."

"You mean this one?" Sadiq gestured to the still-unturned Yong Soo snoring away next to her.

Elizabeta jumped up, drawing her robe closer around her. "Wha….what? How did this happened? Ugh, the feelings certainly do not linger."

Sadiq smirked as he drew his arm around her shoulders. "That doesn't matter anymore. Jones, take off the head. Elizabeta, darling, I have a request for you. Have your folk play music to draw any mortal in the wood into the deepest sleep."

She shrugged. "Done." With a snap of her fingers, the forest plunged into quiet for only a few seconds. During this time, only those who listened closely could hear the faint strain of a haunting, mysterious melody. The five mortals left in the wood didn't stir, and wouldn't stir for hours.

As Sadiq and Elizabeta continued their reunion, Alfred strolled over to where Yong Soo was sleeping, limbs spread out in each direction. Grasping both ears firmly, all the sprite had to do was give them a hefty tug – and miraculously, the Korean was as he was before. Alfred dusted his hands off in satisfaction.

"There. Wake up with your own two eyes again!"

Sadiq had taken Elizabeta by the hand. "Well, there is precious little time left of this midsummer's night. Shall we dance until morning? There will be more dancing later, at Duke Bonnefoy's wedding – where we could bless the couples joined there. I'm feeling generous tonight. What do you say?"

A smile, accompanied by the excited, cheeky gleam in her eyes, was enough for an answer. He almost began to dance right then when Alfred hastily slid over.

"Hey, uh, not to be a downer or anything, but morning's almost here. I just heard the morning lark."

He was right. The forest was gradually losing the mystical aura that had shrouded it all night. Animals began to wake, with soft noises of a lively woodland population seeping into the air. The faeries looked at each other – all three could sense their magic weakening with each ray of sunlight that broke through the darkness.

"Well, I suppose the dancing will have to wait. Time to follow the moonpath to Faerie before it fades away."

As Sadiq spoke, he felt a nudge by his side. Elizabeta had wormed her arm through his, and when he looked down, there was a very familiar expression greeting him. Lips pursed, she scrutinized him, eyebrows raised.

"So…want to talk about what actually happened to me?"

* * *

><p>When morning finally broke over the horizon, the only sign of the faerie-kind was an echoing laugh of a particularly jovial sprite.<p>

Francis felt irritated. It was his wedding day, and he had intended the entire day to be a good one. All of it. Morning til eve til night. Unfortunately, he'd made a fairly big mistake of inviting his fiancé along on the morning hunting trip – he'd been hoping that she would be impressed with his lively tricolore hounds. But no, Marie had instead blathered on and on about the heroes back in her old country…could the woman not understand when a man was trying his best to give her a good time?

Francis was very irritated. He was usually very good at this.

The hounds barked excitedly as the pack rounded a clump of birch trees. To Francis's shock, they entered a clearing, one already populated by four humans sprawled upon the ground.

"Halt!" He peered over his horse's back, frowning. "Who are these people?"

His query was met with a blank silence. Only old Roma came forward, mouth slightly open in disbelief.

"That's…that's my Feli, over there! And Ludwig. _And _Antonio. Here, here is Lovino…why would the four of them be together in the same place?"

The edges of Francis' mouth twitched a little as he surveyed the four sleeping figures before him. "I suppose they weren't the only ones with May Day festivities. Then they must have heard about the hunting trip and wanted to pay their respects by meeting us," he deadpanned. "Say, Roma. Isn't today the day Feliciano has to tell you of his answer?"

Roma nodded. Francis looked to his guards.

Feliciano yelped at the blaring noise of the hunting horns, and Ludwig bolted straight up. Confused and flustered, he stared at Feliciano before noticing Francis. Antonio merely rolled over, but fierce shaking from Lovino forced him to groggily wake.

"Bonjour, mes amis," Francis called to them brightly. "Valentine's Day was quite a while ago, so all this…_coupling_ has been rather late, non?"

There was a mad scramble as the awoken did their best to look presentable – as much as one could after spending a night in the woods. Ludwig was brushing leaves out of Feliciano's hair.

"P-pardon, sir…we were just…I…"

Francis dismounted. "Well, don't stutter. We all know the rivalry between you and Antonio – so how did you all come to take a nice snooze right next to each other?"

Ludwig paused uncertainly. Feliciano looked just as nervous, particularly due to the fact that his father was part of the crowd staring them down. The remaining culprits had finally made it to their feet. Antonio sighed and rested his chin on Lovino's shoulder – a move that elicited a blush from the Italian.

"I…My lord…er, please forgive me." Ludwig self-consciously smoothed his hair down. "I still don't feel fully awake. But I swear that I don't recall how any of us came to be here…except for one thing that I _think_ is true. I came here with Feliciano with the intent of escaping the city where we wouldn't have to deal with the law-"

"Enough!" Roma started forward angrily. "We've heard enough. Duke Bonnefoy, I insist that we abide by the law! They would have gone away, directly defying both Antonio and myself. Antonio, you would have been denied a marriage, myself a son, and of my consent."

Everyone now turned to stare at the man. Antonio was taken aback, and scratched his head sheepishly.

"Ah…oh. The thing is, Lovi actually told me what they were planning, see. And I got angry, so I followed him. But then he, caring about me…"

Lovino squeaked. "D-don't say stuff you don't really understand, you bastard…"

The way he shuffled awkwardly proved Antonio's story, however.

"…I don't really remember what happened after that." Antonio looked over at Feliciano and Ludwig, of which the former shrugged and the latter shook his head. "But, it's strange. My love for Feli doesn't seem…real anymore. When I think about it, it feels more like a moment of immaturity, like jealousy over something in my childhood…"

Without warning, he suddenly turned to Lovino and smothered him in a hug, eliciting another embarrassed squeak.

"I'd much rather spend time with Lovi, who is all I can think, feel and see right now!" Antonio's smile seemed to fill the clearing with a simple joy. "It's almost like I was sick to hate anything so perfect for me. But whatever it was, I'm cured of it now…and back to what's really in my heart. Which will be Lovi. I want him, I love him, and I always will."

The entire party gave a start as a certain Italian was swept off his feet into a passionate kiss. Ludwig looked mortified at such a public display of affection, though Feliciano watched in fascination.

Francis grinned. "I certainly see that. Well, isn't that convenient that we all met here, then? Roma, you'll have to concede to this change of plans, because I do believe there is room for three weddings tonight. Speaking of which, morning's nearly over so we might as well wrap up the hunting party and get back to the city. It'll be a night to remember!"

He turned back to his horse and spotted Marie's shining face. Finally, something that made her happy.

As soon as he'd disentangled himself from Lovino, Antonio watched the retreating party in wonder. "Say…doesn't it feel as if everything is just out of reach? About last night, I mean."

Feliciano yawned in spite of himself. "Vee…I know. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing double!"

"Y-yeah…" Lovino still looked about him warily. "So…the tomato idiot and I are, um. Actually together, or some stupid shit like that?"

Feliciano nodded enthusiastically. Lovino didn't seem too sure. "Sounds too damn easy."

"Ahh, I still feel like I'm sleeping!" Antonio put his arm around him. "Are you sure we're awake? Did Francis just tell us to follow him?"

"Yes! And my father was here too, vee…"

"And Marie."

"And he did tell us to go back." Ludwig took Feliciano's hand.

Antonio shrugged. "I guess we better go. By the way, did anyone else have a weird dream last night? Let me tell you mine…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I hope you like this chapter better than I do :/ But hey, all we have is the extremely short scene ii, then Act V! So this story is about to end. Thank you for reading, please R&R C:**


	10. Act IV, scene ii

**A/N: Hello, surprise - updating ON TIME! This is because scene ii is ridiculously short. And to be honest, I cut off scene i early anyway, so all the mechanical action would be in one neat place. Enjoy!**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
><strong>**MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.**

* * *

><p>By noon, sunlight flooded the wood. All seemed docile, relaxing, and absolutely carefree. In one particularly peaceful grove, a very inquisitive squirrel made its way down a thick oak tree. Sniffling the air, it scampered up a collection of mossy rocks, trying to recall just where exactly the delicious nut tree it had found the day before was located.<p>

It didn't seem to notice that one of the rocks wasn't really a rock. The squirrel nearly jumped out of its skin as Yong Soo bolted awake.

"I know, I know! My next line is, 'It is the gallant Pyramus!' I'm ready for my cue, da ze!" He pushed all wonderment at his aching muscles away, not realizing what an uncomfortable night he had just spent.

"Yao! Kiku!" Only the chirps of far-off birds and crickets answered the call. A red squirrel was hightailing it back into the branches. "Hong? Mei?"

Yong Soo stood up. It was midday and he was completely alone in the wood. He could make out a well-trodden path that could, he supposed, only lead back to the town. "Where is everybody…? Hey! Leaving me alone is not cool! Pranking did not originate in Korea!"

As he climbed down from the rocks, his mind began to conjure up some faint, strange memories. He was almost sure that the rocks had been flowers before, and the enchanting, magical scent nearly filled his nostrils. And weren't there glowing points of light all around, humming like small winged things who held ancient secrets inside? Yong Soo decided it had all been a dream.

"A dream so dreamful that you can almost say it's not like a dream at all, and who would ever dream of repeating it to others?" he thought aloud. Oh, that sounded very clever; he had to remember this one.

Twigs and leaves crunched loudly beneath his boots, the bright green leaves and clear blue sky over his head signalling that yes, indeed this was the real world. No magic, no spirits. But Yong Soo was thinking hard. More snatches of this crazy dream was coming back to him.

"Was I really…? Did I actually have a…" He paused on the path, and raised one hand certainly to pat his head. No, no donkey ears there. "How strange!" A quick pat of his cheeks revealed them to be clean-shaven, not prickly and hairy like an ass's.

"Well! We can certainly say this is a singular dream that only a lively Korean could have had!" Yong Soo set back to the path with gusto. "No eye has heard, no ear has seen, no hand has tasted and tongue has touched what I've just dreamed! A true creation of Korea!"

Yong Soo's speed quickened as he marched through the wood. He had to get this fanciful dream down onto paper soon! But how? Oh, Yao! Yes, of course Yao could help him write it down. It would be like the next epic, told from generation to generation until it grew into a revered myth. Yong Soo was hurtling down the path now, almost beside himself with excitement.

"But what should I call it?" He paused at the edge of a stream and stared at the swiftly running water.

"The Bottomless Dream," he declared. "And I can read it tonight for Duke Bonnefoy's wedding, at the end of the play! It will be the best performance the town has ever seen, da ze!"

And off he rushed, through the sun-lit wood, back to civilization.

* * *

><p>Yao had gathered the rest of the actors in his house. It was teatime, but nobody was drinking tea. The clinks of pottery people shuffled their cups around on their saucers felt deafening to the host's ears, not just because of how his oolong was going to waste, but because it seemed to echo the one thing on everybody's minds:<p>

_What happened to Yong Soo?_

"Has anyone gone to his house yet?" He glanced around the table.

Mei shook her head. "Nobody in town has seen him at all. Surely he's still lost in the forest."

Next to her, Kiku bit his lip. "But if he never comes back, the play will be ruined. We can't possibly put it on without him, can we?"

Yao shook his head vehemently. "It's impossible, aru! Can you even think of any other person in town who can play Pyramus?"

"No…I suppose he was the only one…"

"Of course he was the only one!" In his worry, Yao didn't realize he was chewing the end of his own ponytail nervously. "He was the best disclaimer of all voices, aru!"

"I think you mean declaimer…disclaimer means something completely different."

"Do not argue with me, aru!"

There was a smart rap upon the door, and open it slid to reveal a morose-looking Thai.

"Here's some news, everyone. The Duke is just leaving the cathedral right now, and it looks like not just one couple was married, but three. Imagine if we had gone forward with our plan...all of us would have been given medals of honour!"

Kiku pushed his teacup away with a sigh.

"Poor Yong Soo…think about it, he could have had leisurely pay for the rest of his life as an honoured man, but now he's lost it. I'm sure the Duke would have honoured him as Pyramus, at the very least! I'd swear upon it."

Thai joined the sombre troupe at the table. Nobody made a move to pour him tea, but it was just as well. Just as Thai had settled himself onto a cushion, the sliding doors began to shake with heavy blows.

"Hey! Where's everyone! Are you all there, da ze?"

There was an incredible fumbling at the table as Yao, Mei and Kiku all scrambled to their feet and rushed for the door. Poor Thai was bowled over in their haste, and Hong decided it was finally a good time to begin sampling the snacks Yao had put out for them. Yong Soo entered triumphantly.

"Im Yong Soo!" Yao waved his arms around in an attempt to induce order. Mei was hugging the prodigal actor, and Kiku was pouring another cup of tea. "Thank goodness you're back, aru."

Yong Soo accepted his cup of tea pompously. "Well, my good friends, I have experienced many wonders, da ze. But don't ask me what they are, because I swear as a noble Korean that I won't! Now listen up, I'll tell you everything, just as it happened."

"Okay, what happened?"

Yong Soo took a leisurely sip of his tea. "Didn't I just say I wouldn't say a word? All you're going to know is that Duke Bonnefoy is having his banquet, da ze."

The others stared at him in exasperation. There was still a few flower petals hanging off his left ear. A clock chimed somewhere else in the house, and the Korean started.

"Hey! The Duke is having his banquet! No time to lose, everybody! Quick, grab your props and costumes, then we'll all meet at the palace. Make sure everyone knows their lines, because even if prompters originated in Korea, we don't have any! The thing is, our play has been chosen by the Duke!"

Yao tried to protest that hey, the play idea had been _his_ – but Yong Soo was on a roll.

"Kiku, make sure Thisby's clothes are clean all the way down to the linens! Thai, no need to cut your nails because lions have sharp claws, da ze! Nobody is allowed to eat onions or garlic just to make sure we have a sweet breath. If we do that, they'll definitely say that it was a sweet play!"

Yao was still trying to say something. Yong Soo grabbed an egg tart and promptly stuffed it into his questioning mouth.

"No time for ramblings, aniki! Let's get going, da ze!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Then it's Act V…which is two scenes, but one is massive and the other is tiny. I think I'll just mash them up into one huge update…so it will be the last. I hope you have still enjoyed my roller coaster of a fic. See you for the ending! Thank you.**

**Also, apparently we can do cover artwork for stories now. Unfortunately, I cannot draw to save my life. So...well. This was a pointless statement, then.**


	11. Act V, scene i

**A/N: This one is ridiculously long. Also, I'm actually going on a short vacation this weekend. But who cares about my personal life…have the chapter!**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
><strong>**MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.**

* * *

><p>True to his word, Duke Bonnefoy granted a city-wide holiday to his citizens. The wedding revelries lasted all throughout the evening, starting from the reception until even after the last lick of dessert at the banquet. Marie (now Duchess) stood watching the enthusiastic townspeople light up the fireworks.<p>

"How strange," she reflected, "Are the things the four youth from the wood described to us. Don't you agree?"

Francis laughed. "Very strange. I personally make a point not to believe a single word in the stories of lovers and madmen. You'll find they're quite similar…along with poets. They let their imaginations get the best of them – whether it's seeing demons everywhere, finding beauty in the most unattractive of people, or creating works of art from thin air. So in this heightened state, it's completely possible to sense joy from something one perceives as a bringer of joy, just as easily as it is to have nightmares over a bear-shaped bush."

He was pleased to see that Marie also laughed at this description. "You seem to be quite familiar with the temperament of mad lovers, my lord."

"Naturally. I happen to be one myself." Francis reached out and tried to wrap one arm around his new wife. Marie exhaled deeply, but didn't extract herself.

"Still. You must admit that the fact that all of their stories actually match up is rather surprising and strange."

"Yes, of course," he replied mildly. A distraction was approaching in the form of the very subjects of conversation – Ludwig and Feliciano in front, the latter wringing the arm off the former in delight, with Antonio and Lovino a few steps behind them, the former almost dragging the incredibly embarrassed latter along.

"Congratulations," Ludwig offered politely.

"Congratulations? To me? But look who's talking!" Francis grinned and clapped the broad-shouldered young man on the back. "Come now, don't give me such a long face. It's an official holiday and the night isn't over yet. What do you say, everyone? Let's have some revelry. Call the Master of Revels!"

There was a bit of a fuss as attendants rushed through the estate, doing their best to locate the elusive Matthew. Few noticed that he'd actually been in the main hall for the entire time, although he had attempted to inform those who passed him. They were too harried to see him, claimed most.

The wedding had been planned for weeks, and such as it was, many townsfolk had lobbied for a chance to perform for the Duke. Matthew pulled a long list out of his pocket and adjusted his glasses to peer down at its contents.

"An acclaimed countertenor singing the tale of _Hercules and the Centaurs._"

Marie sighed. "No, no. Francis already told me that story once before. I'd very much rather not hear it again."

"Well, how about a play…_Orpheus and the Bacchae_?"

"Oh, heavens no. That's a very old play; I saw it the last time I returned from my travels." Francis frowned. Was there anything suitable? "What else is there?"

Matthew continued to read. "A choir concert, emulating the Muses in mourning of the state of education today."

Antonio laughed. "That's far too depressing for a wedding."

"True…oh, what about this? _The Tedious, Short, and Tragical Comedy of Pyramus and Thisby._"

The three couples exchanged amused looks.

"How can something be both tragical and comedic?" Lovino scoffed.

"How can something that proclaims itself as tedious still be short?" Ludwig questioned.

Francis reached over and plucked the list out of Matthew's hands. "How would the play even work?"

Matthew cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose. "Um, sire. If you'll excuse me, but I know this play. It _is_ incredibly short, about ten words – but ten words too long, if you ask me. It's horribly written, the actors are completely miscast - oh, and Pyramus dies in the end, that's why it's tragic – they're waiting in the east drawing room, and I watched them practice…"

"What kind of men are they?"

"Simple ones, sir. Workers in the town who have gone so against their natures as to prepare their play in time for your wedding."

"Why, then let's see it!"

"...S-seriously?"

"Oui."

"B-but, my lord!" Matthew's eyes grew wide behind his glasses. "I'm really sorry about sounding so mean, but they're absolutely _terrible_. The only way you'd enjoy it is to think of it as so bad, that it's good."

Francis raised a hand grandly. "We WILL watch this play. It can't be so bad when good honest men work so diligently. Go tell them to get ready."

* * *

><p>In precisely half an hour, the wedding guests gathered in the ballroom. There was a curious buzz in the air about this very peculiar choice for the late-night entertainment, and Marie pulled Francis over to one side, hissing in his ear.<p>

"You've got to stop this, Francis. You heard Matthew! He said it was the worst play he's ever seen, and Matthew is probably the nicest person who ever existed. Have you ever heard him say an unkind word of anybody?"

"Yes, I know. But think of it this way, we're doing them a favour for letting them go on with their fun. What they do poorly, we shall accept in good faith. Sometimes, the sheer effort is just as noble. I've had people approach me for petitions who clearly had prepared some sort of speech beforehand, but nervousness made them stutter and blush instead. But the point is – I still knew their good intentions. Just because something is simple doesn't mean it means little, as long as it's honest."

Marie frowned, but allowed him to lead her to seats in the very front. Feliciano beamed as she sat next to him.

Matthew stood before the crowd, trying in vain to silence them even when few paid attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present the prologue."

Yao automatically popped up from behind the curtain. The audience gradually quieted as he launched into a fast-paced ramble.

"This is just to say that if you are offended by anything we do, it's completely unintentional, aru! Please do not think we are here to offend you, except for the fact that it's with good intentions. Basically this play might be the very end of our lives – but! We'll chance it, aru! The intentions intended is the intent to not make you happy. We don't intend to bring delight, aru! You'll be quite sorry, aru, and the actors are ready, and you probably know everything we'll be doing here, aru."

He scurried back behind the curtain. Francis bit back a grin.

"This fellow doesn't seem to stop at the end of his sentences."

Ludwig had the opposite reaction – a grimace accompanied with a twitchy brow. "Like riding a wild colt. Didn't know how to stop it. All we have learned is that one can't just speak, but know how to speak." Feliciano patted his knee consolingly.

Marie shook her head. "It's like a child playing an instrument for the first time."

The curtain lifted, revealing the actors frozen in place. Yong Soo was posed in what he considered to be a very, very gallant stance, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing aches in his biceps because the hero had to hold his sword aloft. Kiku, on the other hand, looked absolutely mortified to be seen in a dress by so many people. Hong didn't seem to care, sitting on a plaster brick between them, arms folded. Yao began to talk at the speed of light once again.

"So! Ladies and gentlemen, if you are confused by this image, aru, do not worry. Everything will make sense. This man is Pyramus, and the beautiful lady over there is his lover, Thisby. That man, with the plaster, is the wall, aru. A very important wall which separated the lovers, and only through a hole in the wall could they whisper at each other, of course. Now this man right here with dog and lantern is of course the metaphorical man in the moon, I am the moonshine, aru! Because of course, the lovers could only meet in the light of the moon, which is why I have the lantern to be the moonshine. In the moonlight, they met at the tomb of another man named Ninus (he will not be appearing in this play) in rendezvous, but a lion came and scared Thisby away. She left her cloak, aru, which the lion stained all bloody-like, so when the noble Pyramus finds it he's naturally extremely upset, aru, so while Thisby is hiding in the trees he kills himself, which makes the play so tragic, aru! Now, without spoiling the story, let's watch the scene at hand."

"A lion," Francis said thoughtfully. "Would they give the lion any lines?"

"Probably," smirked Antonio. "If asses prove that they can act, then lions certainly can."

Hong finally unfolded his arms and stood on the box.

"Okay, so. Hi. My name is Hong. I'm supposed to be a wall. A wall with a hole in it, apparently, so you'll have to pretend I'm one...the lovers have to talk through the hole, I guess. This plaster I'm standing on is to represent the wall, but don't ask me why we couldn't have just built one with it. Anyway, when I make a ring with my two fingers like this, it's supposed to be the hole in the wall. Yeah."

Hong sighed, making it clear that he'd only joined the troupe for Yao's rehearsal snacks. Seeing his reluctance, the Duke couldn't help but add a few more comments.

"Ah, limestone could not have said it better!"

"The wittiest wall I've ever met."

"Shh!" Lovino waved them quiet. "Pyramus is going up to the wall!"

Yong Soo snatched up his hand and peered through the "hole".

"Ahh, this is the blackest night," he cried. "A night that is the colour of black! Night, which is what day definitely isn't! It's night, da ze! Woe betides me! I'm horribly scared that Thisby forgot all about her promise to meet me."

He seized Hong's hand even more urgently. The Chinese teenager shot him an annoyed look, but Yong Soo swung the arm dramatically.

"Oh wall, you sweet and lovely wall! You're the wall that stands between her house and mine! Oh wall, wall, wall, you must show me your hole – even if wall-holes originated in Korea – to see my Thisby through! Oh please, please, wall!"

Hong begrudgingly held up his fingers. Yong Soo squealed excitedly.

"THANK YOU, WALL! Now I can see – no Thisby? But how? How dare you not show me her beautiful face! Wall! You've cursed me! I HATE YOU, WAAAAALL!"

Yong Soo slapped Hong's knee without warning. The boy staggered backwards and nearly fell off his plaster brick. After some angry mutterings, Hong pulled himself upright and grimly became a wall again.

"Maybe the wall should curse him again," Francis said a bit loudly. Yong Soo wheeled around.

"Oh no, Duke Bonnefoy! He definitely should not! Because the 'I hate you wall' line is the cue for Thisby to come onstage, so if the wall said something it would throw everything off and ruin the play. You see how cues are important, they were invented in Korea! Oh look, here she comes, da ze!"

Kiku awkwardly shuffled forward, legs restricted by the dress. "Ahh…Hello, wall. I know you've been very aware how I have cried about you, since you separate me and Pyramus. Err, I've often…ah, kissed your stones, even."

Hong shot him a warning glance, indicating that absolutely no kisses were allowed to be made upon his person. Not that Kiku looked eager to do so anyway. Yong Soo, on the other hand, grabbed Hong's hand again and pressed it to his face.

"AHA! There, I see her voice! Now I can look through the hole, da ze! Yes, I see Thisby's face. IT IS THISBY!"

"My love!" Kiku edged closer. "I mean…You are my love. I think."

"Of course, I'm your love, we are the main characters, da ze! And I will be faithful always."

"Yes, I'll be just as faithful too. Like Helen of Troy was to her husband."

"Yes! Now, kiss me, dear Thisby through the hole of this horrible wall!"

Hong shuddered and tried to pull his hand away, but Yong Soo forced it to smack against Kiku's poor mouth.

"Now, you must meet me at Ninny's tomb, da ze!"

"Ahh….hai."

They left, Yong Soo hurtling off stage right, and Kiku shuffling along stage left. Hong hopped off the brick, wiping his hand on the seat of his britches.

"That's the only scene the wall is in, so I'm free to go." He marched away, leaving the brick alone on the stage.

Francis laughed. "Oh, look! The wall is gone now. They needn't have left."

"It can't be helped, sire, when walls talk so freely," Antonio joked along.

Marie rubbed her forehead. "This is the silliest play I have ever seen."

Francis gave her a nudge. "Oh, lighten up. The best of this kind of drama are only as real as shadows, and the worst are not as bad if you have the imagination to fix them."

She glared at him. "Then it's your imagination you're enjoying, not theirs."

"If we imagine the same way that they do, then they can be considered quite excellent."

Thai and Yao were now standing side by side onstage. Thai pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and began to read.

"Dear ladies, particularly the ones who are timid enough to be afraid of small mice, we would just like to say that we understand if you tremble at the sight of this mighty lion. However, we will also reassure you that I am not a real lion, but Thai the carpenter. If I were a real lion, see, I would have a very hard time here because people would be after my life. Lions are quite dangerous."

He bowed humbly and stepped to the side. The wedding party was moved by this speech, however silly it was.

"A very gentle beast, with a good conscience."

"Quite. A most well-mannered lion."

Yao cleared his throat. The audience shifted in their seats and steeled themselves for another long-winded explanation. To their surprise, his line was brief.

"This lantern is the symbol of the waning moon, aru, which means it is representing the moon. And I am the man on the moon. Thank you, aru."

"Wait, how can he be the man on the moon if he's holding it?"

"He doesn't want to be on the moon right now; there's a candle inside. He could get burned!"

"Let's hope he can wane his way off the stage."

Yao looked affronted. "I just wanted to let you know that the lantern is the moon, aru. I'm the man in the moon, the thornbush is a thornbush, and my dog is my dog."

Antonio leaned forward. "But see here, if you're the man in the moon, shouldn't you be inside the lantern?"

Francis and Ludwig failed to suppress a snort as Lovino kicked him irritably.

Kiku shuffled onstage once again. "Ah, this is Ninny's tomb. Where is Pyramus?"

Nobody expected such a roar to come from the mild-mannered carpenter. Leaping over Yao's thornbush prop, he snarled and snapped in such a way that nobody could blame Kiku's terrified hobble into the wings, although he nearly forgot to leave behind the cloak. Thai snatched it up and quickly poured a vial of berry juice to signify blood.

Antonio had to stand up for this one. "Well roared, Lion!"

Francis was still smirking over Kiku's appearance. "Well run, Thisby!"

Yao was still standing at the end of the stage, holding his lantern and looking pouty. "Well shone, moon," Marie said gently. He perked up a little at the compliment.

Yong Soo trotted in. "Sweet moon, I thank you for shining so brightly like the sun! Golden and glittering, the perfect light to see my Thisby in, da ze. But what's this?" He seized the cloak, raising it above his head with a shout.

"AHHH! OH NO, NO, NO, NEVER! WHAT HORRIBLE THINGS ARE THESE, DA ZE? O DAINTY DUCK! This is the cloak of THISBY! Stained with BLOOD! The blood of THISBY Of course! Let me DIE BECAUSE THISBY IS ALSO DEAD!"

Francis didn't even need to lower his voice. "What passion. It would be heartbreaking to watch this man act – granted that a close friend of yours had just passed."

"I'm actually pitying him," Marie murmured.

Yong Soo brandished a wooden sword with flourish. "OH! WHY, NATURE, DID YOU CREATE LIONS? An evil lion has DEFLOWERED my Thisby! She was the most beautiful, lovely, best looking girl outside of Korea who lived, loved, liked, and looked! LET THE TEARS POUR! LET THE SWORD PIERCE! Yes, dear audience – the sword is going to PIERCE PYRAMUS IN THE CHEST, DA ZE. THIS IS HOW HE WILL DIE!"

He hit himself with the sword. A low gasp swept through the audience at the sound, and Yong Soo did wince a bit since he'd misjudged his own strength. But determined to keep the show going on, he sank to his knees.

"Now, I am a DEAD PYRAMUS! Dramatic deaths originated in Korea, da ze! See my immortal soul flying through the sky towards heaven! My tongue will soon stop, and the moon will stop shining…"

He paused for a moment to wait for Yao to scurry offstage. "Now, I shall DIE! AND DIE! AND DIE! AND DIE! AND DIE!"

It was another thirty seconds of slow-motion falling to the ground before Pyramus lived no more. Marie whispered to Francis.

"How is the moonshine gone before Thisby comes back to see her lover dead? She won't be able to see him."

"Perhaps by starlight," he suggested. "As other lovers do. Ah, there she is. The play will end soon."

"She won't need to mourn too long for this Pyramus."

Kiku had been eying Yong Soo's splayed out body from the start. He knelt next to it and recited carefully.

"Are you asleep, my love? Or – oh no! Dead, my love? Ahhh, please get up, Pyramus! Speak to me! Oh no, he' s…he's dead. Ah, all the beautiful graces and features of the face are now gone, and gone. Let me have the courage to lift the bloody sword. O noble sword, stab my chest with blood!"

Nervous as he was, Kiku merely dropped the sword and then lay down across from Yong Soo. Only later did he realize there were a few more lines – "Goodbye, goodbye, and goodbye."

Grateful for the ending of the play, Francis and the other wedding guests gave into tumultuous applause. The Duke even offered a standing ovation.

"I suppose that the Moon and the Lion will have to arrange the funerals."

"Along with Mr. Wall."

"No, no, da ze!" Yong Soo scrambled to his feet, all at once forgetting about being dead. "The wall is gone from their homes, now. My most gallant Duke, would you like to hear our Epilogue? Oh, but we also are very good at the dragon dance – which originated in Korea, not China – so which would you prefer?"

"Never mind the Epilogue." Francis motioned for the chairs to be cleared. "One needn't a reason to summarize a play. Though I must admit, if the playwright himself had played Pyramus and ended the show by hanging himself, I agree that it would have made a very fine tragedy. But, none of that. Let's see your dragon dance!"

Yong Soo beamed, not completely comprehending the implications of the Duke's compliments, and raced behind the curtain to alert his fellow actors. The audience awaited the dance on the ballroom floor, murmurs of conversation about the strange play floating around. To those who were paying attention, the noise of muffled scuffling could be heard from the direction of backstage.

Still in his Pyramus costume, Yong Soo ran back out on stage, holding a mask and a fan. "Ladies and gentlemen, my very good ladies and gentlemen, the Duke and the Duchess, and everyone! To celebrate our new holiday, I give you the dragon of good dreams and happy luck!"

The audience gasped in delight as a massive snout appeared between the curtains. Struggling to keep the giant head upright, Yao stumbled through the cloth and led the rest of his troupe down the stage steps. It was a wonder that he didn't crash. Having reached the floor, the rest of the Asians began to follow Yong Soo on a lively chase, billowing scarlet and gold around the mansion.

Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's arm. "Vee, Ludwig! Let's follow the dragon! I'll give us good luck!"

Antonio pushed Lovino forward. "Come on, Lovi!"

As the four of them raced after the dragon, Francis turned to Marie. "Did I not say it would be a joyous evening? Go on, I want to hear you say it: Duke Bonnefoy keeps his promises."

She folded her arms again, but this time he knew it was all coquettishness. "It seems to me that he does."

A resounding crash was heard in the next hallway. Matthew rushed past them, looking flustered.

"…But perhaps we should go enjoy the night elsewhere."

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><p><strong>AN: Title drop again. Derp.**

**As you can tell, the description of the play (and all of the nobles' snarky comments) were far too much to merge with the last scene. So there is ONE more chapter, short but sweet and significant, to round it all out. Hope this one was entertaining to you all!**


	12. Act V, scene ii

**A/N: FINALLY! The last chapter =D Thank you so much for following until the end.**

**Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
><strong>**MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.**

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><p>The edge of the forest coincided with the westernmost outskirts of town, met only with a few hardworking farms and the great cathedral. Lazy lightning bugs hovered through fields of sweet-smelling clover, where a few heifers waited patiently, chewing their cud. Inside one lonely cottage, a farmer dropped into bed, having spent the evening drinking toasts to the Duke and his new bride. Behind the cathedral, the tombstones forlornly stood, forgotten in the revelries in spite of all the whispers and rumours about Midsummer Eve. A novice, coughing to himself, jumped at the sound of an owl's hooting and shivered at a distant wolf's howl.<p>

While the humans retreated into their dwellings, the spirits sprang to life.

Bright blue eyes peered excitedly from the shadows of the wood at the sleeping town. Alfred darted out into the meadow with giddy glee, suppressing the urge to howl again. Almost like a puppy, he tripped over fences and cobblestones, speeding towards the palace. A few bowls of milk curdled as he galloped by – which were sure to annoy a few housewives in the morning, but it was their own fault to blame. It was a midsummer evening. The faeries were about.

So just paces behind the cavorting sprite, Sadiq and Elizabeta glided by serenely with their entourages in tow, a glittering cloud visible to no mortal eye. The townspeople assumed that the celebrations and partying were finished for the night, but little did they know that the streets were lighting up again, this time with tricks and treats of the magical ilk, granted by the King and Queen of Faerie themselves.

Sadiq passed one particular house with an open window. Inside, he spotted a hearth filled with dying embers.

"Imagine that, a triple wedding. And to whose credit can that be given to?"

Alfred suddenly reappeared at his side, grinning like a goblin. "Me, sir!"

He dodged the swat in his general direction. Elizabeta's attendant, Arthur, rolled his eyes. The rest of the faeries gathered around their royals, awaiting instruction.

"Through every house like this one, spread light and magic. Sing a song of revels, like birds of our own mysterious wood."

Elizabeta nodded at Arthur. "Be sure of every note uttered. As we are Faerie, we will work together to bless this night for the mortals, not to prank them. Are we clear?"

He bowed and left with the rest of them. Not before he shot Alfred a warning glance, however – Sadiq's personal henchman could only shrug. Maybe Thickbrows hadn't been made aware of the totally cool super heroic things he'd done that night, which were definitely in the definition of blessings. Alfred, obviously, would just have to inform him later.

Within seconds, there were only two beings left in the square. Trails of glimmering pixie dust floated in the air, left behind by eager young creatures that were currently zooming through sleepy households, savouring the permission to explore normally forbidden ground. Sadiq turned to his wife.

"Now, who do you think deserve the ultimate tidings for the coming season?"

"Feliciano and Ludwig, of course. It was courageous for them to enter the wood. That's true love."

Sadiq arched an eyebrow and stroked his thin beard thoughtfully. "Really? There's something to be said about a reunited romance – Lovino's gone through quite a bit in the past few days, wouldn't you agree?"

All pretenses were dropped. Queenly graces and charms fell away as Elizabeta grinned dangerously.

"Do you mean to challenge me?"

"It looks as if you're doing all the challenging, love."

"I am the Queen. There's as much say on which wedding couple receives our blessing in these hands as there is in your silly back pocket."

He caught her round the waist. "Are you saying that a year of unblemished happiness would be wasted on those who have been waiting for it all their lives?"

"Are _you_ saying that as the all-powerful ruler of Faerie, you can't even double the amount of goodwill for just one evening?"

In a flash, he had darted up the steps. "Fair enough. Perhaps if Bonnefoy is satisfied, the charms shall trickle down to his subordinates."

"Don't you run from me!"

Sadiq grinned, dodging Elizabeta's playful blows as they raced, like ghosts, through the corridors of the palace.

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><p>Like a spider, Alfred scrambled up the side of a house and hoisted himself in through the open window. The task was simply too easy. Every townsperson had left their curtains billowing on this warm midsummer night, inviting the faerie clear access to the heart of their homes.<p>

This particular room was a nursery. Alfred approached the bed, where three small children nestled under the covers. Eyes tightly closed in sleep, peace exuded from the covers. No worries marked the smooth little foreheads.

He smiled. Of course there was nothing to fear! Alfred F. Jones, the best of the best, heroic of the heroes, from the immortal world, was here. And it was with great pride and dignity that he blessed the house, promising easy outs for the little ones' mistakes and incredibly luck when facing off other bullies.

Moonlight cracked through the clouds to fall upon the rumpled blankets. The smallest child, a boy with raven-dark hair, twitched and rolled over. Alfred froze as eyelids fluttered slightly and a longing sigh escaped through pink lips.

He scampered over. Jumping lightly onto the headboard, he leaned over the children and whispered one last spell.

"If any of these actions cause you harm, then let us use a different charm.

Imagine – imagine just as in sleep, only shadowy images will you keep.

Anything that offers up only pain, will vanish like a dream once again."

Alfred nodded, satisfied. None of the children had moved again. Tiptoeing to the window, he hopped nimbly onto the sill before looking back.

"And I swear on the honour of all heroes, we'll be back to fix anything that goes wrong!" He crouched, creating a formidable pose against the moonlight. "But I better go before I'll have to eat my words…"

Alfred shot from the house like a rocket, dancing over other buildings and lamp-posts. In the distance, he could see other faeries converging at the lonely farm, with Arthur counting heads and herding the younger, stupider sprites away from the cathedral. Sadiq and Elizabeta, glowing with a mischievous and pleased aura, were floating back from the palace. Rays of sunlight were cracking over the horizon again. Soon the townspeople would be awake and cheerful again, ready for a good harvest, secretly primed by the supernatural elements scattered throughout their homes.

He stopped on the tip of a fencepost, waving his arms to steady himself. Casting one last look behind him, Alfred breathed again.

"So, a good summer's night to you all. Peace and goodwill and happily ever afters. If anyone has a complaint, you know who to call."

With that, Faerie's greatest hero let loose another whoop before disappearing into the darkness, one last time.

_Fin_

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><p><strong>AN: Much, much, MUCH creative liberty was taken here. Forgive me, Shakespeareans o3o **

**Honestly, I planned to make this a series, but I don't know if this is such a great idea anymore. It was really difficult to write and keep in character, as proved by the obnoxiously sporadic updating – for which I apologize a thousand times over again. I really don't like being unreliable. Anyway, my decision is not to continue with Bardtalia unless people really want to see it. There are other cast lists and concepts fleshed out (Germanic Hamlet…Asian Lear…), but I'm not sure if they will get out of development hell. Haha. All this being said, THANK YOU for sticking to the end. I appreciate it so much.**


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